The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday adjourned its hearing on the contested selection process for Odisha’s Director General of Police (DGP).
According to reports, the bench was unable to conclude proceedings during the day’s session and will resume hearing the matter tomorrow.
The legal impasse continues to delay the appointment of a permanent police chief for the state, following the retirement of the previous DGP.
The Supreme Court is scrutinising the state government’s methodology for shortlisting senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) panel.
Key points of contention include:
- Expanding the Zone of Consideration: The state initially submitted a three-member panel of DG-rank officers on May 14. Following the August promotion of two Additional DGPs to DG rank, the state modified its submission, drawing questions from Amicus Curiae Raju Ramachandran regarding whether mid-stream list alterations conform with standard empanelment rules.
- Withholding of Integrity Certificate: The court is examining the exclusion of senior 1993-batch IPS officer Susanta Kumar Nath. While the state withheld his integrity certificate citing preliminary CBI enquiries, the Amicus report noted that no formal criminal charges or pending interrogation requests currently exist against Nath.
At the centre of the dispute is the landmark 2006 Prakash Singh v. Union of India judgment, which mandates that state police chiefs be appointed from a transparently prepared UPSC panel consisting of the three senior-most eligible IPS officers in the state.
The court will reassemble tomorrow morning to hear further arguments from the state government, the petitioners, and the Amicus Curiae before delivering its directions.
