The Supreme Court has directed the Jharkhand government to respond to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cure the defects in the proposal for recommending the names of officers for the post of the DGP. Taking note of the delay in appointing a new police chief, the court issued this direction.
The Jharkhand DGP Neeraj Sinha (IPS:1987:JH) is scheduled to retire on February 11, 2023. “Naresh Kaushik, counsel appearing on behalf of the UPSC, states that on November 30, 2022, UPSC has issued a communication to the State of Jharkhand adverting to certain defects which were found in the proposal for recommending officers for the post of DGP,” a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said on Friday.
“We direct the State of Jharkhand to attend to the requisitions which have been furnished by UPSC and to positively submit its reply on or before December 23. UPSC shall thereafter take consequential action no later than January 9, 2023,” the bench noted in its order and listed the contempt plea against the state government and others for January 16 next year for hearing.
The Supreme Court is hearing a contempt petition against the Jharkhand government and its present DGP Neeraj Sinha, alleging that he has held the post despite his superannuation on January 31, 2022.
The apex court issued a contempt notice on July 14, 2021, against the state government, its officials, and the UPSC for alleged violations of its verdict. Later, Sinha was made a party to the contempt case.
The top court had on September 3, 2021 pulled up the state government and the Union Public Service Commission for their role in the appointment of an interim DGP in alleged violation of the top court’s judgement that had fixed two-year tenure for a state police chief who has to be selected from a list of senior police officers to be prepared by the UPSC.
The court was irked over the fact that the state government had then appointed IPS officer Neeraj Sinha as an ad-hoc Director General of Police (DGP) following which the UPSC was refusing to prepare a list of senior police officers for the selection of the DGP.
