Senior IPS officer Ashish Gupta (IPS:1989:UP), currently serving as Director General, Rules & Manuals, has applied for voluntary retirement (VRS) from the Uttar Pradesh government, triggering speculation in bureaucratic circles about the reasons behind his decision. Gupta still has 22 months left until his scheduled retirement in December 2026 but has submitted a three-month notice for VRS.
Sources indicate that Gupta, the second senior-most IPS officer in Uttar Pradesh, was abruptly recalled from central deputation in December 2022, where he was serving as CEO of the counter-terrorism IT infrastructure ‘Natgrid’ (National Intelligence Grid) under the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Upon his return, his career trajectory suffered a setback as he remained on the waiting list for six and a half months before being assigned a sidelined posting as DG (Rules & Manuals) on June 24, 2023.
Gupta’s attempts to secure a central deputation at the DG level reportedly did not materialize, with his name on the offer list but failing to receive approval.
It is believed that his prolonged wait for a significant role and dissatisfaction with the current posting prompted him to seek early retirement.
His wife Tilottama Verma (IPS:1990:UP) is currently serving as DG (Training) and is set to retire in November 2025.
