In a significant development, the Centre has now joined the ensuing legal battle over the appointment of Jharkhand DGP. The Union Government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to declare the appointment of the incumbent Jharkhand DGP, Tadasha Mishra (IPS:1994:JH), as illegal, contending that the state government’s 2025 regulations governing the DGP’s selection run contrary to the top court’s directions.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana.
The Centre’s petition concerns the “Selection and Appointment of Director General and Inspector General of Police, Jharkhand (Head of the Police Force) Regulation, 2025”, notified by the state govt on January 8, 2025.
The Centre’s allegation is that, while framing its 2025 regulations for selection of the DGP, the Jharkhand govt had acted in “complete defiance” of the Supreme Court’s directions issued in Prakash Singh case.
The Jharkhand govt had later amended the 2025 regulation to remove the six months’ residual service requirement and appointed Tadasha Mishra as DGP on December 30, 2025, a day before she was to superannuate on December 31, 2025.
The Centre has now asked for a declaration that appointments made under the state’s 2025 DGP selection regulation are illegal.
The Centre’s plea alleges that the Jharkhand govt had not sought the apex court’s permission before notifying the regulation.
The Centre has also objected to the Jharkhand govt’s “selectively” in complying with the Prakash Singh judgment to confer a two-year tenure on its DGPs while departing from the Court-mandated selection procedure.
This is not all, the Union Govt has also challenged the appointment of IPS officer Anurag Gupta (IPS:1990:JH) as DGP on February 2, 2025, for a two-year tenure on the ground that Gupta had only about three months of service remaining at the time of his appointment. Gupta later took voluntary retirement.
It also informed the top court that a PIL challenging the 2025 regulations and Gupta’s appointment, which was pending before the Jharkhand High Court, was transferred to the Supreme Court on August 18, 2025.
The Centre’s application also brings to the apex court’s notice a Home Ministry’s letter dated January 6, 2026, directing the Jharkhand govt to cancel the 2025 Regulation and Mishra’s appointment, while asking it to initiate the process for appointing a DGP in accordance with the top court’s directions.
CJI Surya Kant agreed on Wednesday to list the Centre’s application for hearing on Thursday.
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