Now Reading: SC bars UPSC from finalising Odisha DGP post till August 18
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SC bars UPSC from finalising Odisha DGP post till August 18
The Supreme Court on Thursday barred the Union Public Service Commission from taking any decision on Odisha's next Director General of Police until the next hearing on August 18. The Court was…
The Story in Brief
The Supreme Court on Thursday barred the Union Public Service Commission from taking any decision on Odisha's next Director General of Police until the next hearing on August 18. The Court was hearing a PIL that alleges the state government is trying to bypass constitutional guidelines by including ineligible officers in the selection panel. Senior advocate P. Chidambaram appeared for the petitioner.
The controversy deepened after 1994-batch IPS officers Sanjeeb Panda and Yashwant Jethwa were promoted to DGP rank ahead of the UPSC process. The latest shortlist reportedly includes four officers: 1990-batch Sudhanshu Sarangi, 1993-batch RP Koche, and the two promoted officers. A UPSC meeting scheduled for August 7 was cancelled after the state missed a document deadline.
The Indian Opinion
The row over Odisha's top police post shows how easily court orders on police reforms get twisted. Blaming only the state government misses the point: the UPSC too delayed its August 7 meeting over missing papers. Both sides now claim the 2006 Prakash Singh judgment supports them. The real test will come on August 18, when the Supreme Court examines whether the UPSC's shortlist matches its own guidelines. Until then, every promoted officer's name will be ammunition in a battle that should be about procedure, not politics.
Sources (2): odishatv.in, odishatv.in (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
