Punjab DGP Suresh Arora gets three-month extension
A case seeking extension in Arora’s tenure was sent by Punjab government last month.
The union government on Wednesday gave a three-month extension to Punjab DGP Suresh Arora, who was scheduled to retire on September 30.
As per a copy of the orders, the appointment committee of the union government has approved the proposal of union home ministry to provide a three-month extension to Arora.
The Punjab government had approached the central government for an extension in Arora’s tenure last month.
The file seeking an extension for the 1982-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was sent to the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) and the department of personnel and training last month.
The move comes amid confusion over the appointment of the next DGP, especially in the wake of a recent Supreme Court judgment directing the states to send a panel of senior officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which will shortlist three officers of whom the state will select the top cop.
On August 10, the state government had said it would file a review petition against the SC order that also binds the states to send names of senior police officials to UPSC three months before the post of DGP gets vacant.
A senior state government official said chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had also taken up the issue of Arora’s extension during his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh earlier this week.
Arora assumed charge as DGP on October 25, 2015, during the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) government.
Amarinder, who took over as CM in March 2017, had also showed trust in Arora.
Though it is exactly not clear on what grounds the Punjab government has sought extension in Arora’s tenure, officials say the state has sought his “urgent requirement” in view of the recent pro-Khalistan activities.