SC to hear pleas over police reforms, ad-hoc appointment of DGPs

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine after two weeks a range of issues including the ad-hoc appointment of DGPs in some states.

A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria said it would also consider a plea of petitioner and former DGP Prakash Singh seeking to put a system in place where a panel comprising chief minister, the leader of opposition and the chief justice of the high court select the director general of police (DGP).

Advocate Prashant Bhushan said like the appointment of the CBI director, a three-member panel could be set up to appoint a suitable person as the DGP.

The bench also took note of the submission of senior lawyer Anjana Prakash who said due process was not followed in the appointment of Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta.

Gupta was set to retire on April 30 under the Central government’s rules on reaching the age of 60 but the state government wrote to the Centre for extension of his tenure, it was alleged.

“All these matters are important and will require sometime,” the CJI said.

The CJI asked the counsel, appearing for various parties, to provide the copies of their petitions to senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who would assist the bench as an amicus curiae.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan, appearing for one of the parties, said the apex court judgement of 2006 and subsequent directions have not been implemented in letter and spirit.

The pleas relate to the implementation of the top court’s 2006 verdict on police reforms that recommended steps like separation of investigation and law and order duties.

After 2006, the top court also passed another set of directions, including no ad hoc or interim appointment to the post of DGP by the state governments.

The Union Public Service Commission, in consultation with a state government and other stakeholders, will have to prepare a list of three senior police officers and the state can appoint any one of them as DGP, the top court

then said.

Bhushan and others have alleged the apex court guidelines were being flouted by various state governments.

“There has been rampant corruption in the appointment of police chiefs... rampant,” Bhushan said.