Uttar Pradesh seems to be fated to continue with a stop-gap arrangement with the DGP post, as its attempt to appoint a permanent DGP has been put on hold by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The commission returned its proposal for the empanelment process of a regular DGP on Thursday, saying the proposal did not comply with the 2025 guidelines and established procedures and should be resubmitted in accordance with the set standards.
The state government had submitted the names of over 35 IPS officers from the 1990 to 1996 batches to the UPSC for the post of DGP. The UPSC was required to shortlist a panel of three officers based on seniority and service records and forward it to the state government to pick one of them as a regular DGP. However, the UPSC did not accept this panel and returned the proposal.
Despite being the largest state in the country, UP has been one of the several states that have been managing the policing works with acting DGPs. UP has been doing it for the last four years.
The Supreme Court had slammed several states in October last year, like UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand, for having acting DGPs and had even issued notices to them to initiate the process for appointing regular DGPs.
Besides, the UP govt had also framed its law for independently appointing its DGP. According to it, a six-member Selection Committee was to be formed under a retired High Court judge. Yet, the state govt went ahead and appointed IPS officer Rajeev Krishna (IPS:1991:UP) as an acting DGP in May 2025.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that the UPSC has rejected a proposal from the UP govt. In 2022 also, the commission had raised several objections regarding the selection process and adherence to established guidelines. Since then, a permanent DGP has not been appointed in Uttar Pradesh, and the police department continues to rely on an acting DGP.
Now, the state govt has no option left except preparing a fresh proposal and submitting it to the UPSC for empanelment. Only then can the process of appointing a permanent DGP proceed. According to officials, this process may be delayed for a few months, as the preparation of a new panel based on seniority, eligibility, and other criteria is necessary. The responsibility lies with the state Home Department to prepare a fresh list of eligible IPS officers to be sent to the UPSC for consideration.
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