Submit revised proposal for appointment of DGP within seven days: SC to Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit within a week its revised proposal to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the appointment of director general of police (DGP). A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said the UPSC would make its final recommendation within two weeks thereafter. It said the appointment be made forthwith after the UPSC's recommendation. The bench referred to its February 5 order passed in a separate matter related to appointment of DGP for Telangana. In that order, the top court had taken a serious note of the inordinate delay by several states in sending proposals for the appointment of DGP, and authorised the UPSC to first write to the state governments to send timely proposals. It had directed the UPSC to move an appropriate application before it if the proposal was not submitted in a timely manner. During the hearing on Thursday, the bench said the directions passed by it on February 5 ought to be followed by all the states and the UPSC, barring a minor change for Tamil Nadu keeping in view the peculiar facts and circumstances in the state. The top court was informed that the acting DGP of Tamil Nadu is also an aspirant for the regular DGP's post, and thus, cannot be included in the committee to appoint the DGP. The bench said Tamil Nadu is entitled to have two members from the state in the selection panel. It granted permission to the Tamil Nadu government to nominate an officer, higher or equivalent in rank and status than the DGP, in the selection panel. While hearing the matter concerning the appointment of Telangana DGP on February 5, the apex court fully endorsed the concern expressed by the UPSC regarding the inordinate delay on the part of several states in sending proposals for the appointment of DGPs in terms of the top court's directions in the Prakash Singh case. In the Prakash Singh case, which relates to police reforms, the apex court had laid down guidelines which mandates selection of DGPs from among three senior-most IPS officers empanelled by the UPSC and set a fixed two-year tenure for them.