Haryana Govt Relieves Kapoor, Sends Five Names To UPSC For DGP Selection

Notably, before resending the list of five senior IPS officers belonging to batches from 1990 to 1993, the state government divested 1990-batch IPS officer Kapoor from the post of DGP.

Kapoor’s removal from the DGP post cleared the decks for the appointment of the new DGP, as while returning the first list of IPS officers, as the UPSC had objected to the fact that there did not exist a vacancy to the post because the incumbent was only on leave and upon his return, he could take charge of the post.

Now, the move comes as the state prepares to fill an impending vacancy, with incumbent acting DGP OP Singh set to retire on December 31.

Following his return from leave, Kapoor formally handed over charge of the state’s police chief to Singh on Sunday evening. This cleared the procedural hurdles that earlier prevented the state from notifying a vacancy. The government has now officially communicated to the UPSC that a clear vacancy will arise after Singh’s retirement.

The Probables

According to officials in the UPSC, the Haryana Government has forwarded the same panel of five IPS officers, all holding the rank of DGP, along with Kapur’s fresh posting order. The fresh panel includes Shatrujeet Kapoor (IPS, 1990 batch), Sanjeev Kumar Jain (IPS, 1991 batch), Ajay Singhal (IPS, 1992 batch), Alok Mittal (IPS, 1993 batch) and Dr AS Chawla (IPS, 1993 batch).

With Kapur now formally divested of charge, the state believes the UPSC can proceed with the selection process.

It is to be noted here that Kapoor had already completed his two-year tenure as the DGP, but was asked to proceed on leave after being named as an accused in a case related to the alleged abetment of the suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. The issue had complicated the appointment process, as Kapoor technically continued to hold the post during his leave period.

The Process

The 2023 guidelines stipulate the zone of consideration of names of IPS officers for the DGP post, which includes that one must be holding the post of DGP in the state cadre, should be placed at Level-16 of the pay matrix and must have at least six months of residual service as on the date of vacancy.

The state government is also required to submit integrity certificates and details of pending criminal proceedings, if any, for the officers under consideration.

The appointment process is governed by the 2006 Prakash Singh judgment of the Supreme Court, which mandates that the state government must select the DGP from a UPSC-empanelled list of the three senior-most officers, selection must be based on length of service, performance record and experience and the selected DGP is entitled to a minimum tenure of two years, regardless of the date of superannuation.

With the vacancy now formally established and notified by the state government, the UPSC is expected to convene its empanelment committee and recommend names, which will enable the Haryana Government to appoint the next DGP in accordance with constitutional and judicial guidelines.