Odisha DGP Selection Case: Supreme Court to Hear PIL Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear a Public Interest Litigation today concerning the selection of Odisha’s next Director General of Police, with the matter gaining urgency as the tenure of current DGP Y.B. Khurania ends on August 16.

The case reached the apex court after allegations that the Odisha government withdrew a panel of officers earlier sent to the Union Public Service Commission and submitted a new list.

Senior counsel P. Chidambaram mentioned the matter before a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which agreed to list it for hearing today.

The plea is that the state government withdrew the earlier panel sent to UPSC and sent a fresh list that includes an ADGP-level officer who has now been promoted to DGP. The petitioner argues that this move violates the Supreme Court’s earlier guidelines and prescribed eligibility criteria for DGP appointments laid down in the landmark Prakash Singh vs Union of India (2006) judgment.

The CJI-led bench observed that UPSC should inform the Court if any ineligible officer is included in the list, and expressed hope that UPSC will act in accordance with Supreme Court directions.

As per the Supreme Court guidelines, a high-level committee shortlists three senior IPS officers and sends the names to the state government, which then appoints one of them as DGP.

Earlier in April, Odisha had sent a panel to UPSC. The UPSC Empanelment Committee was to meet on August 7 to shortlist candidates. However, in May the state reportedly withdrew that list and sent a new one with 11 names – 3 DGP-rank and 8 ADGP-rank officers.

Amid this, two ADGPs were promoted to DGP – 1994-batch IPS officers Sanjeev Panda and Jaswant Jethwa – which changed the equation for the selection.

The fresh list and promotions have now become the focus of the petition.

With the deadline approaching, all eyes are now on today’s hearing to decide how the selection process for Odisha’s next police chief will proceed.