Supreme Court questions Odisha over IPS officer’s exclusion from DGP list

The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the Odisha government for withdrawing the integrity certificate of senior IPS officer Susanta Kumar Nath, leading to his exclusion from the list of candidates for the post of Director General of Police (DGP). A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant asked whether the state was treating Nath as an accused merely because the CBI sought to question him in a recruitment case. Barandbench.com reports the court observed that withholding the integrity certificate was 'going too far'.

The hearing, which remained incomplete on Tuesday, resumed on September 24. The Odisha government had initially forwarded three DG-rank officers to the UPSC for empanelment, but later revised the list after withdrawing Nath's integrity certificate. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued the state acted with 'abundant caution and due diligence', while senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing Nath, said his record was outstanding and he was not named in any FIR, Odishatv.in reports. The court will also examine whether the state created temporary ex-cadre posts to alter the zone of consideration. The hearing continues.