After Haryana, it is now the turn of West Bengal to feel the heat of the UPSC’s ire over the issue of appointing a regular DGP for the state. The state government often dilly-dallies in following legally mandated procedure and unnecessarily ends up in a legal tangle. This is exactly what is happening to Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal.
That is exactly the reason why the UPSC has returned its proposal for the preparation of a panel for appointing the chief of the state police. The UPSC’s rejection is appended with advice to the state government to seek appropriate directions from the Supreme Court. The UPSC has cited inordinate delay as the reason for this decision.
With acting DGP Rajeev Kumar (IPS:1989:WB) scheduled to retire on Jan 31, the issue of who to appoint as the next DGP is staring straight into the eyes of the state govt, particularly after the UPSC returned its panel proposal.
According to the UPSC, despite the fact that the vacancy for the post of DGP arose on 28 December 2023, the state government forwarded its proposal only in July 2025. It meant the Bengal government took more than one and a half years after the vacancy occurred to act. This time lag is well beyond the timeline prescribed by the apex court.
It found mention in the UPSC’s communication to the Chief Secretary, where the commission referred specifically to the Supreme Court’s directions in the Prakash Singh vs. Union of India case of 2006.
Besides, the apex court had also asked all states to forward their proposals to the UPSC at least three months in advance of the anticipated vacancy when the incumbent DGP was to retire. As per the top court order, it had been done to ensure a transparent, timely, and merit-based selection process. But the Bengal govt conveniently forgot to follow the supreme verdict.
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