In a significant development ahead of the impending retirement of Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal (IPS:1990:TN) on August 31, the Madras High Court has sought a detailed response from the state government regarding the initiation of the DGP appointment process.
A division bench comprising Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete directed the state to submit its response concerning the procedures it intends to follow, in line with Supreme Court directions and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) guidelines for empanelment of eligible IPS officers for the top police post in the state.
The directive came while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate K Yasar Arafath, who alleged that the Tamil Nadu government had failed to initiate the mandatory empanelment process. According to the petitioner, the delay in forwarding a list of eligible IPS officers to the UPSC may jeopardize the timely selection of a regular DGP.
The plea underlined concerns over the potential erosion of police autonomy, stating that a failure to appoint a full-time DGP through proper procedures could undermine the rule of law, affecting both the independence and professionalism of the police force.
The petitioner also urged the court to prevent the Home Secretary from either appointing an acting or in-charge DGP or granting any extension to the incumbent DGP without adhering to the prescribed legal process.
With DGP Shankar Jiwal’s superannuation just weeks away, the court’s intervention has brought the spotlight on the state government’s preparedness and adherence to constitutional norms in high-level police appointments.
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