Supreme Court to Hear Plea Challenging Odisha DGP Appointment Process Today

The Supreme Court will hear on September 7 a case challenging the process for appointing Odisha’s next Director General of Police (DGP). The hearing is significant as the state awaits the appointment of a new police chief.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India will hear the matter, which was earlier scheduled for September 2 but deferred to September 7.

The case concerns the list of IPS officers sent by the Odisha government to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for selection of the next DGP. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has challenged the process, alleging that the Supreme Court’s guidelines laid down in the Prakash Singh case were not properly followed.

Initially, the state government had forwarded the names of three DG-rank IPS officers to the UPSC. The subsequent inclusion of additional officers in the list triggered objections and became a key issue before the court.

The petition has questioned the procedure adopted by the state government in preparing and forwarding the list.

The Supreme Court’s directions are expected to determine the next course of action for appointing Odisha’s new DGP.