The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that it will not convene a meeting to finalise the selection of Director General of Police for the State of Odisha till the next apex court hearing on August 18.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant intervened in a petition, represented by senior advocate P.
Chidambaram, alleging that the Odisha DGP selection process was in violation of the apex court’s Prakash Singh judgment.
It alleged that the Odisha government was trying to include a junior officer in the list of candidates.
Race to post of Odisha DGP hit by controversies A submission was made before the Bench that the UPSC meeting was scheduled to be held later in the day (August 13).
Mr.
Chidambaram alleged that an officer was given promotion just a day back, preempting the Supreme Court hearing, so that he could be included in the list of candidates for the DGP post.
The Bench had also sought assistance from senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, the amicus curiae in the Prakash Singh matter.
The court, in a 2006 judgment in the Prakash Singh case, had made it clear that the office of DGP should be divorced from political or other external pressures.
It had invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to direct that DGPs must be selected by State governments from among the three seniormost and meritorious officers empanelled by the UPSC.
The court had thrown out the “concept” of acting DGPs.
It had held that State police chiefs should have a minimum fixed tenure of two years.
Subsequent apex court orders in July 2018 and March 2019 detailed the appointments mechanism, which included the State concerned sending a proposal to the UPSC three months ahead of the retirement of the incumbent DGP.
The UPSC would prepare a panel of suitable officers.
The State would appoint one of the empanelled officers as DGP “immediately”.
