After having been promoted to the DGP rank by the Odisha government on Monday, decks are now clear for senior IPS officer Sanjeeb Panda (IPS:1994:OD) to take over as the new chief of the Odisha Police.
The General Administration Department (GAD) of the Odisha govt issued a notification on Monday promoting both Panda and his batchmate YK Jethwa from the ADG grade to the DG rank in the level-16 pay matrix with immediate effect.
While Panda is currently heading the Anti-Naxal Operations unit, Jethwa is posted as Director of Vigilance.
The timing of the Panda’s promotion bears special significance as it comes in the midst of the ongoing selection of the next DGP. The current incumbent, Y B Khurania (IPS:1990:OD), is retiring on Aug. 16, and the Empanelment Committee Meeting held by the UPSC on Friday last week remained inconclusive.
Why Panda’s imminent promotion was being watched anxiously in police circles in the state is the belief that once the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) concludes, the state will forward a fresh panel of officers to the UPSC for shortlisting three candidates.
When the UPSC now reconvenes the Empanelment Committee Meeting, Panda’s name is likely to feature in the list of the three senior most officers.
Panda’s chances are believed to have brightened after the UPSC reportedly received adverse feedback from the CBI against Susanta Kumar Nath (IPS:1993:OD), currently serving as DG (prisons), in connection with the sub-inspector recruitment scam when he headed the Odisha Police Recruitment Board.
A source says that Panda was earlier at number four in seniority, but with Nath’s exit, he moves up to number three.
But other sources provide another angle by saying that the real reason is that one of the three officers is likely to go on central deputation, paving the way for Panda.
Though the senior-most officer of the 1990 batch, Sudhanshu Sarangi, currently posted as DG, Fire Services, and 1993 batch officer R P Koche, serving as Director (Intelligence), are also in the race, Panda is seen to have an edge over them.
Further, a top govt source indicates that Panda’s prospects have been bolstered by Odisha’s success in meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s target of having a Naxal‑free India by March 2026.
When everything appeared to be working in favour of Panda, a surprise came from the Supreme Court, where a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) came up for hearing on Tuesday, alleging that the Odisha govt was trying to circumvent the apex court guidelines for the DGP appointment.
The petition alleges that the state govt was attempting to promote an ADG to the rank of DGP and then include his name in the fresh panel to be sent to the UPSC for shortlisting. The petition’s main contention is that the Odisha govt is trying to manipulate the inclusion of an ineligible officer (read Panda) in the DGP panel.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana agreed to hear the PIL petition urgently and listed the matter for hearing on Wednesday.
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