The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a batch of petitions challenging the appointment of Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta (IPS:1990:JH), with petitioners alleging that due process and apex court guidelines were violated.
A bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria, will take up the matter. Among the petitioners is Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, who has opposed Gupta’s appointment.
On July 24, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear a plea filed by a social activist after senior advocate Anjana Prakash submitted that the guidelines framed by the apex court for DGP appointments were not followed.
Gupta, who was due to retire on April 30, 2025, under central service rules, had been holding the charge of DGP before being formally appointed on February 2, 2025. His appointment came under the newly notified Jharkhand DGP and IG Selection and Appointment Rules, 2025, issued on January 8.
However, on April 22, 2025, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, clarifying that Gupta’s tenure could not extend beyond his retirement. Despite the Centre’s objections, the state government chose to retain him as DGP.
The dispute arises from a 2006 Supreme Court judgment mandating that DGPs be chosen from a panel of three senior-most IPS officers prepared by the UPSC, with a fixed tenure of two years. Petitioners allege these directions were disregarded in Gupta’s case.
Earlier, the apex court had also sought responses from the Jharkhand government and Anurag Gupta on a contempt plea alleging non-compliance with its earlier directives. Monday’s hearing is expected to be crucial in deciding the validity of Gupta’s appointment.
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