A major row has erupted over the appointment of Jharkhand acting Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta (IPS:1990:JH). The Supreme Court, while hearing a contempt petition seeking his removal from the post, issued notices to the Jharkhand Government as well as the DGP asking them to submit a response within two weeks along with a counter affidavit.
The notices were issued by a division bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud while hearing the contempt petition filed by a Jamshedpur- based resident, Naresh Makani.
The contempt petition says that Gupta was appointed on an ad-hoc basis in contravention of the apex court judgment which laid down procedures for the appointment of the DGPs in States. According to it, the appointment of Gupta as the acting DGP is a clear violation of SC’s judgment and thus his appointment should be declared null and void. Anurag Gupta was appointed as the acting DGP on July 27 this year, replacing Ajay Kumar Singh (IPS:1989:JH) appointed as the regular DGP on February 15, 2023, for a two-year term.
