With incumbent Director General of Police (DGP) Shaik Darvesh Saheb (IPS:1990:KL) set to retire on June 30, Kerala is on the brink of appointing a new police chief. While the announcement of the new DGP may take only minutes once the final panel is received from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), reaching that point has proven far more complicated than it appears—thanks to political considerations and eligibility hurdles.
According to sources, the state government has forwarded a list of six senior IPS officers to the UPSC for shortlisting: Nitin Agarwal (IPS:1989:KL), RA Chandrasekhar (IPS:1991:KL), Yogesh Gupta (IPS:1993:KL), Manoj Abraham (IPS:1994:KL), S Suresh (IPS:1995:KL), and MR Ajith Kumar (IPS:1995:KL).
Under the established procedure, the UPSC is expected to return a panel of three officers from the list, from which the state government must make the final selection.
However, the selection process has hit a snag. Two contenders—Suresh Raj Purohit and MR Ajith Kumar—currently serving as Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGP), do not meet the central eligibility requirement of completing 30 years of service. Purohit joined the Indian Police Service on September 3, 1995, while Kumar entered the service on September 5, 1996. Reportedly, the Centre has raised objections to their inclusion in the list on these grounds.
In response, the Kerala government has written to the Centre, seeking a waiver of the 30-year rule and justifying the inclusion of the two officers. If the request is denied, the UPSC will only have four valid names to consider and will return a final panel of three after excluding one.
What makes the selection even more sensitive is the looming 2026 Assembly election. Sources familiar with the matter suggest that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is likely to opt for a politically calibrated choice. A key complication could emerge if Manoj Abraham’s name is excluded from the final UPSC panel. The remaining officers—Nitin Agarwal, RA Chandrasekhar, and Yogesh Gupta—are reportedly not seen as favourably aligned with the current government as Abraham, potentially narrowing the CM’s options.
If consensus proves elusive or the final panel is politically unpalatable, the state government may even consider extending the tenure of the outgoing DGP.
As the clock ticks toward June 30, Kerala’s DGP succession is shaping into a high-stakes decision marked by politics, procedure, and precedence.
Also Read: With Shaik Darvesh Saheb retiring, Kerala awaits its next DGP
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