Odisha Police / Supreme Court Directs UPSC to Defer Odisha DGP Selection Meeting Till August 18
·1 hour ago·3 min read
Key Points
The Supreme Court directed the UPSC not to finalise Odisha's next DGP until August 18, when a PIL challenging the selection process will be heard.
New Delhi, Aug 13: 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, when the court is scheduled to consider a petition challenging the state's DGP selection process.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked the UPSC to defer a meeting reportedly scheduled for Thursday to finalise the candidate until the next hearing.
Senior advocate P Chidambaram mentioned the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the bench, arguing that the Odisha government's process for selecting the next DGP allegedly violated the Supreme Court's guidelines laid down in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case.
Chidambaram told the court that the matter was listed but was unlikely to be taken up on Thursday and requested an urgent hearing. He submitted that the UPSC was scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise the candidate.
Court Seeks Amicus Curiae's View
Chidambaram also alleged that an IPS officer was promoted recently, ahead of the court hearing, to enable the officer's inclusion in the panel sent to the UPSC.
Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya disputed the allegation, maintaining that there had been no violation of the prescribed norms. He also questioned the maintainability of the PIL, arguing that it concerned a service-related dispute.
The bench also expressed reservations about the maintainability of the petition. CJI Surya Kant pointed out that no affected officer had approached the court.
Also Read: Odisha DGP Selection Gets Curioser: How CBI Report, UPSC Deadlock & SC Intervention Changed The Race
The bench subsequently sought the views of senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, the amicus curiae in the Prakash Singh matter. Ramachandran supported the petition and said the Odisha DGP selection process was not in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the earlier judgment.
After considering the amicus curiae's submissions, the court asked the counsel appearing for the UPSC to defer the scheduled meeting.
Odisha DGP Selection Process Under Challenge
The PIL pending before the Supreme Court seeks adherence to the procedure laid down in the Prakash Singh judgment for appointment of a state police chief.
Under the procedure, the state government is required to select its DGP from a panel of three senior officers prepared by the UPSC.
The incumbent Odisha DGP, YB Khurania, a 1990-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the state's head of police force on August 16, 2024. His two-year tenure is due to end on August 16, 2026.
The state government had initially sent the names of three senior IPS officers -- Sudhanshu Sarangi, a 1990-batch officer, and Susanta Kumar Nath and RP Koche, both from the 1993 batch -- to the UPSC for consideration.
The state later expanded the list to 11 officers by including eight senior IPS officers from the 1994 to 1996 batches.
On August 10, the Odisha government promoted two 1994-batch IPS officers, Sanjeeb Kumar Panda and Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa, to the rank of Director General of Police. Their promotion could bring them into consideration if the panel submitted to the UPSC is revised.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked the UPSC to defer a meeting reportedly scheduled for Thursday to finalise the candidate until the next hearing.
Senior advocate P Chidambaram mentioned the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the bench, arguing that the Odisha government's process for selecting the next DGP allegedly violated the Supreme Court's guidelines laid down in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case.
Chidambaram told the court that the matter was listed but was unlikely to be taken up on Thursday and requested an urgent hearing. He submitted that the UPSC was scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise the candidate.
Court Seeks Amicus Curiae's View
Chidambaram also alleged that an IPS officer was promoted recently, ahead of the court hearing, to enable the officer's inclusion in the panel sent to the UPSC.
Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya disputed the allegation, maintaining that there had been no violation of the prescribed norms. He also questioned the maintainability of the PIL, arguing that it concerned a service-related dispute.
The bench also expressed reservations about the maintainability of the petition. CJI Surya Kant pointed out that no affected officer had approached the court.
Also Read: Odisha DGP Selection Gets Curioser: How CBI Report, UPSC Deadlock & SC Intervention Changed The Race
The bench subsequently sought the views of senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, the amicus curiae in the Prakash Singh matter. Ramachandran supported the petition and said the Odisha DGP selection process was not in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the earlier judgment.
After considering the amicus curiae's submissions, the court asked the counsel appearing for the UPSC to defer the scheduled meeting.
Odisha DGP Selection Process Under Challenge
The PIL pending before the Supreme Court seeks adherence to the procedure laid down in the Prakash Singh judgment for appointment of a state police chief.
Under the procedure, the state government is required to select its DGP from a panel of three senior officers prepared by the UPSC.
The incumbent Odisha DGP, YB Khurania, a 1990-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the state's head of police force on August 16, 2024. His two-year tenure is due to end on August 16, 2026.
The state government had initially sent the names of three senior IPS officers -- Sudhanshu Sarangi, a 1990-batch officer, and Susanta Kumar Nath and RP Koche, both from the 1993 batch -- to the UPSC for consideration.
The state later expanded the list to 11 officers by including eight senior IPS officers from the 1994 to 1996 batches.
On August 10, the Odisha government promoted two 1994-batch IPS officers, Sanjeeb Kumar Panda and Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa, to the rank of Director General of Police. Their promotion could bring them into consideration if the panel submitted to the UPSC is revised.
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