Chhattisgarh is soon going to have a full-time DGP. The names of two top IPS officers, acting DGP Arundev Gautam (IPS:1992:CG) and Himanshu Gupta (IPS:1994:CG), are said to be the top contenders for the post, with Gautam leading the race.
Following the Supreme Court’s directions, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had asked the state government to appoint a full-time DGP, but the state govt has been sitting on it despite getting a panel from the UPSC. The state government is now expected to take a final call soon.
The UPSC issued a notice to the state government, citing a Supreme Court order dated July 3, 2018, which clarified that no state should have an “in-charge” DGP. Despite the ruling, no permanent appointment has been made in the state.
It is pertinent to mention here that on May 13, 2025, the UPSC had submitted a panel of two IPS officers, Arun Dev Gautam and Himanshu Gupta, to the state govt to pick one as DGP. Usually, the UPSC sends a panel of three names, but due to limited options, only two names were included in it this time. Yet the state govt sat on the decision.
The Chhattisgarh govt had appointed Arun Dev Gautam as acting DGP after former DGP Ashok Juneja retired on February 4, 2025. However, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Prakash Singh vs. Union of India case of 2006 clearly mandates that the DGP’s appointment must be made according to a regular and established procedure.
On February 5, 2026, the Supreme Court had taken a strict stand on the issue of acting DGP and asked the UPSC to initiate punitive action against such states in case of delay in appointing a regular DGP, which led the state govt to act.
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