The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has instructed the West Bengal government to submit names to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the selection of the new Director General of Police (DGP) by January 23. Following this, the UPSC is required to announce the panel by January 28 and reveal the appointed state police chief. Presently, West Bengal Police lacks a full-time DGP, with Acting DGP Rajeev Kumar set to retire on January 31.
Controversy arose earlier this month regarding the appointment of a new DGP, as the UPSC returned the list of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers recommended by the state government. Nand Kishor Kumar, the UPSC’s Director, All India Services, advised West Bengal Chief Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, to seek Supreme Court approval for Rajeev Kumar’s successor. The situation stems from the retirement of Rajeev Kumar’s predecessor, Manoj Malviya, in December 2023, where the state government opted to appoint Rajeev Kumar as the acting DGP instead of sending a panel of three IPS officers.
The state government recently proposed a panel of IPS officers as successors, but the UPSC rejected it citing a Supreme Court order from July 2018. According to this order, any state government must submit the recommended panel of IPS officers for the new state DGP appointment at least three months before the current DGP’s retirement. As per this guideline, the West Bengal government should have sent the panel in September 2023, three months before Malviya’s retirement.
