Seth, a 1995 batch IPS officer from the Uttarakhand cadre, is currently serving as the Additional Director General (ADG) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). He was prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre on a request from the state government to take up this position.

The post of Uttarakhand DGP has been vacant since Asok Kumar, the 1989-batch IPS officer retired in November last year. Since then, 1996-batch IPS officer Abhinav Kumar has been holding the additional charge of the state’s police force.

It is to be noted here that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had sent a panel of three names which included Seth, his batchmate Dr P V K Prasad and Amit Sinha, an IPS officer of 1997-batch. Acting DGP Abhinav Kumar was not included in the list.

Abhinav Kumar, originally allotted to Uttar Pradesh in 1996, opted for the Uttarakhand cadre upon the state’s creation in 2000. But he was retained in the Uttar Pradesh cadre, a decision he had challenged through various legal avenues. In October, Abhinav Kumar also raised objections to being excluded from the Uttarakhand government’s DGP panel sent to the UPSC.

According to officials, the Uttarakhand government picked Seth from the panel of officers recommended by the UPSC, to head the state police force.

In undivided Uttar Pradesh, Seth had served as the Additional Superintendent of Police of NCR districts of Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar. He had also served as the City Superintendent of Police of Agra.

After the formation of Uttarakhand, he served as the Senior Superintendent of Police of Nainital, Additional Secretary Home, Inspector General of Provincial Armed Constabulary and Inspector General - Law and Order.