The Telangana High Court has asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to complete the entire process of appointing the new chief of the police force for Telangana within four weeks.
Justice Pulla Karthik passed this order on Friday while hearing a writ petition filed by T. Dhangopal Rao. Rao had challenged the appointment of IPS officer B. Shivadhar Reddy (IPS:1994:TG) as DGP of Telangana.
The petitioner brought to the court’s notice that the Telangana government had already forwarded a panel of eligible IPS officers to the UPSC for shortlisting the names of three officers. However, the UPSC had returned the panel on 1 January 2026, saying that it could not be considered, as it allegedly violated the Supreme Court’s guidelines issued in Prakash Singh vs. Union of India in 2006. It should be mentioned here that the apex court’s guidelines govern the procedure for the appointment of DGPs in the country.
Brushing aside the UPSC’s earlier position, Justice Pulla Karthik directed the UPSC to initiate and conclude the appointment process within the stipulated four-week period. The commission has to submit a compliance report to the High Court as well.
The court, however, declined to grant the interim relief sought by the petitioner and dismissed his plea seeking suspension of the Government Order (GO) through which B. Shivadhar Reddy was appointed as DGP.
Justice Karthik ruled that the issues raised in the application required detailed and extensive hearing and therefore did not warrant interim suspension at this stage.
The dismissal of the interim application means the appointment of B. Shivadhar Reddy as DGP will continue to remain in force, subject to the final outcome of the case.
The court adjourned the hearing to February 5, 2026, for a compliance report to be filed by the UPSC.
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