Mumbai Police chief gets 3-month extension

A special committee of cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod to extend the tenure of Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Barve by three months

A special committee of cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its nod to extend the tenure of Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Barve by three months on Friday. Barve’s was supposed to retire on Saturday. The extension was given as a special case.

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“We have received the letter from Ministry of Home Affairs, sanctioning Barve’s extension to three months,” said Sanjay Kumar, additional chief secretary, home department.

The state had sought Barve’s extension from the home ministry ahead of the state polls, which are likely to be held in October-November.

According to the officials from Mantralaya, the extension could mire in controversy in the wake of the Election Commission of India’s guidelines.

“This could be a problem if challenged on the basis of the poll body guidelines. But it’s a matter of interpretation as a section of bureaucracy feels it is applicable to the officials at the district level,”an official said on the condition of anonymity.