The Supreme Court will hear a petition seeking initiation of contempt of court against the Jharkhand government for framing its own rules for the appointment of the Director General of Police (DGP) in violation of 2006 directions of the top court.
A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice KV Viswanathan said matter will be heard in the week commencing May 5, 2025. The top court will also hear a plea seeking implementation of its 2006 verdict on police reforms on the same day. The apex court had issued directions in 2006 verdict for the appointment of regular DGPs after finding several states appointing acting
DGPs in place of regular ones.
The petitioner, an NGO named Akhil Bharatiya Adimjanjati Bikas Samitee, had approached the top court seeking contempt proceedings against the Jharkhand government for framing its own procedure for the DGP’s appointment. The petition says that the Jharkhand government’s action is in violation of apex court’s directions for the appointment of regular DGP passed in Prakash Singh vs Union of India case in 2006. Apart from others reforms, the 2006 directions included fixed tenure for the state police chief, separation of investigation and the law-and-order duties and other measures.
The contempt petition says that the new rules framed by the State government violate the mandate of the top court as laid down in the Prakash Singh judgment.
After passing the new rules, the Jharkhand government does not need to send nominations to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for shortlisting names for the appointment of DGP. Rather, it would now be done on the basis of the recommendations of a Special Committee chaired by a retired High Court judge. The new rules empower state government to set up its own Selection Committee headed
by a retired judge of the High Court.
