The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) not to finalise the selection of Odisha’s next Director General of Police (DGP) until August 18, after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenged the process.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant passed the order following submissions by Senior Advocate P. Chidambaram, who alleged that the ongoing selection violated the Prakash Singh judgment on police reforms. He noted that the UPSC was scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise the appointment.
Chidambaram further claimed that an officer had been promoted a day earlier to facilitate inclusion in the UPSC panel. Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya denied any breach of norms and questioned the maintainability of the PIL, calling it a service matter.
The bench sought the opinion of Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, amicus curiae in the Prakash Singh case, who supported the petitioner’s contention. Taking note of his stand, the court directed the UPSC to defer its meeting until further orders.
The UPSC informed the court it would postpone shortlisting three candidates for the state’s top police post until the next hearing on August 18. The apex court also asked the Odisha government to file its response to the interlocutory application by that date. In the meantime, the state is expected to appoint an acting DGP.
