Cabinet clears controversial IPS officer Rashmi Shukla’s empanelment

The empanelment will clear Shukla’s path to either head a central force or come back to Maharashtra in an important post.

Mumbai: The appointment committee of the cabinet has cleared the empanelment of Rashmi Shukla, the 1988 batch IPS officer who is at the centre of several controversies. The empanelment will clear Shukla’s path to either head a central force or come back to Maharashtra in an important post. Being senior to DGP Rajnish Seth, she could possibly displace some senior officer if she comes back to Maharashtra.

Pune, India - June 23, 2017:Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner of Police, Pune City posses for photo at her office in Pune, India, on Friday, June 23, 2017. (Photo by Pratham Gokhale/ Hindustan Times) (Pratham Gokhale/HT PHOTO)

Shukla’s role as commissioner of the state intelligence department was controversial, as the telephones of top political leaders were tapped when she was at the helm. She had three FIRs filed against her in Mumbai and Pune—and anticipating trouble from the MVA government, she asked for a transfer to the Central Reserve Police Force.

Shukla’s troubles began when the Mumbai cyber police on March 26, 2021, filed a case, based on a complaint by the state intelligence department against unknown persons, for allegedly leaking a report submitted by Shukla. The report was about the alleged payments for transfers within the police department, and was prepared when she was the state intelligence commissioner in August 2020. The case is still under investigation.

In February 2022, the Pune police booked Shukla for allegedly tapping the phones of several leaders in the then state government during her tenure as Pune city police commissioner. The police in December 2022 filed a closure report in the case, which the court rejected, stating that there was enough prima facie evidence against Shukla.

A week after the second FIR, in March 2022, the Colaba police, too, registered a similar FIR against her. The police filed its chargesheet a month later, in April. Shukla has approached the Esplanade court seeking discharge from the case.

In November last year, the Centre asked for a vigilance report, and the state home department, led by Devendra Fadnavis, sent a report on the state of the FIRs.

Two more IPS officers were also empanelled as DG: Atulchandra Kulkarni and Sadanand Date.

Date’s promotion in Maharashtra has also been cleared by the police establishment board but he is yet to be given a DG posting although DG-level posts are vacant. At present, Date is the chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad while Kulkarni is additional DG in the National Investigation Agency. Meanwhile, Special Police Commissioner Deven Bharti of the Mumbai police has been empanelled as additional DG.