Appointment of Punjab DGP: UPSC seeks govt view on cut-off date for remaining service period of probable officers

The Punjab government will file a reply to UPSC’s query on cut-off date for remaining service period of probable officers being considered for the DGP’s post

The appointment of a regular DGP may take some more time as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has sought clarification with regard to the service period of nine senior-most officers whose names were forwarded by the state government.

Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota assumed the additional charge as Punjab DGP and a list of three officers is awaited from the UPSC to appoint a regular state police chief. (PTI)

According to the information, the UPSC sought state government’s view on the ‘cut-off’ date to be considered for evaluating the remaining service period of officers shortlisted for the top police post. The state had sent the names on September 30 and now the UPSC wants to know if it (September 30) should be considered to evaluate the mandatory service period left or the date when previous DGP Dinkar Gupta was removed as Punjab Police head.

The government discussed the matter on Monday and the reply will be filed on Tuesday, an official said. The Punjab government had sent the names of nine IPS officers to the UPSC, which, in turn, will choose three names after evaluating various factors as per the laid-down norms. The state government will have to pick one of the three officials for the top police job. The norms make it mandatory that the officers being considered for the post should have at least six months’ service left.

One of the strongest contenders for the post, 1986-batch IPS officer S Chattopadhyaya, would have been out of the race for the top police job had the government not sent the panel to the UPSC on September 30 as he is scheduled to retire on March 31 next year.

After Charanjit Singh Channi replaced Capt Amarinder Singh as chief minister, then state police chief Dinkar Gupta proceeded on a month’s leave and the government removed him from the top post on September 10, posting him as chairman of Punjab Police Housing Corporation.

The government has given the additional charge of the state police chief to 1988-batch IPS officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota till a regular DGP is appointed. Sahota’s appointment had become a bone of contention between chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu, who questioned the probe conducted by him in the Bargari sacrilege case during the previous SAD-BJP regime.

Sidhu camp is desperate to see Chattopadhyaya as the next DGP. The officer was given the additional charge of vigilance chief on October 14, the day Sidhu had met central leaders of the party in Delhi.