Acting Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya not on UPSC shortlist for post

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 4

Disagreeing with the Punjab Government’s choice of having incumbent Siddharth Chattopadhyaya as the DGP, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today empanelled 1987-batch officers Dinkar Gupta and VK Bhawra and 1988-batch Prabodh Kumar for the top police post in the state.

State may move SC

• Punjab Govt may approach the SC against the UPSC panel to delay the appointment
• Wants Sept 30 as the cut-off date to choose the panel
• But the UPSC maintains the cut-off date is October 5

Among the three officers, Bhawra appears to be the frontrunner as Gupta and Kumar have opted for central posting. They, however, are eligible for the post till they get central posting. Gupta was the DGP during the Capt Amarinder Singh regime.

Sources said Punjab may approach the Supreme Court against the UPSC panel to delay the appointment. Chattopadhyaya and his predecessor Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, both backed by different power groups within the Congress, have not found favour with the UPSC selection committee.

Under the procedure laid down by the Supreme Court for appointing the state DGP, the UPSC shortlists a panel of three officers, of whom the state makes the final choice.

The UPSC committee held a three-hour meeting with a delegation of Punjab officers led by Chief Secretary Anirudh Tiwari today. The UPSC had postponed the last meeting on December 22 following “confrontation” with Punjab over the eligibility cut-off date. The UPSC maintained that technically the cut-off date was October 5 when the then DGP Gupta relinquished the charge. Punjab, however, insisted on September 30, claiming it was the day when the UPSC was officially communicated to constitute a new panel for the post.