Delhi High Court is set to hear a petition filed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) challenging the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) order that directed the West Bengal government to complete the recruitment process for a new Director General of Police (DGP) by January 31.
Despite the state government appointing Piyush Pandey as the successor to Rajeev Kumar, Pandey was named acting DGP rather than permanent DGP due to ongoing legal complications in the matter.
The proceedings in the Delhi High Court have drawn significant attention as the court’s decision will determine whether West Bengal will enter the crucial assembly elections later this year with a permanent DGP in place.
On January 21, the CAT had instructed the West Bengal government to send a proposal to the UPSC by January 23 to prepare a panel for the appointment of the new DGP, with the entire process to be completed by January 31.
Following this, the state government submitted the names of eight serving Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including Rajeev Kumar, to the UPSC for inclusion in the panel.
The government also requested an extension of service for Rajeev Kumar to appoint him as the DGP.
Just as the appointment of the new DGP seemed to be moving forward, UPSC’s challenge to the CAT order created fresh hurdles.
According to protocol, the state government must send a list of serving IPS officers from the state for the DGP post, from which UPSC approves the appointment.
The controversy arose when UPSC returned the list of IPS officers sent by the West Bengal government for selecting the new DGP.
UPSC Director (All India Services), Nand Kishore Kumar, advised West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to approach the Supreme Court and obtain the necessary approval for appointing Rajeev Kumar’s successor.
This issue traces back to December 2023, when Manoj Malviya, the predecessor of Rajeev Kumar, retired as DGP.
Instead of sending a panel of three IPS officers to UPSC for approval to replace Malviya, the state government chose to appoint Rajeev Kumar as acting Police Director General.
This ongoing dispute highlights administrative and procedural challenges in the appointment of the DGP in West Bengal amid a politically sensitive period.