By Desaraju Surya
AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government has forwarded names of nine Indian Police Service officers to the Centre for shortlisting three among them for final selection of the state Director General of Police (Head of Police Force).
The state has been without a regular DGP (HoPF) since June 19, 2024 after the Chandrababu Naidu regime set in.
Andhra Pradesh is one of the states that is facing contempt in Supreme Court over the DGP’s appointment issue. The Apex Court has taken a serious view of the transgression by many states, including AP, over the manner in which the DGP (HoPF) is being appointed.
During its earlier tenure from 2014 to 2019, the Chandrababu regime did a flip-flop on the DGP (HoPF) appointment, first enacting a law giving a fixed two-year tenure to the incumbent (irrespective of the date of retirement) in line with the Supreme Court verdict, but later repealing it and bestowing authority on itself over the appointment, subverting the process outlined by the Apex court.
“If a state law contradicts the Supreme Court’s judgment, it can be struck down as unconstitutional. SC has given direction under Article 142 which makes it binding,” a top bureaucrat pointed out, implying that the Andhra Pradesh Police (Reforms) (Amendment) Act, 2018, was null and void.
Now, with the issue before the Supreme Court afresh, the Chandrababu regime has been left with no option except to comply with the Apex Court’s landmark judgement in the Prakash Singh case.
Accordingly, it has sent the names of Anjani Kumar (1990 batch) who recently reported in AP from Telangana; Madireddy Pratap (1991); Harish Kumar Gupta, PSR Anjaneyulu, KVRN Reddy, Nalin Prabhat (all 1992); Mahesh Dixit, Amit Garg and PV Sunil Kumar (all 1993) to the Centre for shortlisting three.
Of the nine, PSR Anjaneyulu and Sunil Kumar are under suspension on different charges.
Mahesh Dixit and Amit Garg are on Central deputation while Nalin Prabhat is serving as DGP, J&K.
“All these names have been sent to GoI, along with details of cases pending against certain officers,” a top bureaucrat said.
Now, whoever makes the final cut, will get to serve as HoPF for a fixed two-year tenure in accordance with the Supreme Court judgement.
As Harish Kumar Gupta, who is currently acting as the HoPF, is expected to be among the top-three, he will be the obvious choice for regular appointment.
Though he is supposed to retire from service on August 31, 2025, Gupta will get to hold the HoPF post for two years from the date of his regular appointment, in such event.
In that eventuality, DG-ranked officers like Dixit, N Balasubrahmanyam and Bisht will possibly lose the chance of becoming the HoPF.