Appointment of latest Punjab DGP awaits approval from Rahul Gandhi

As per studies, the appointment of the brand new Director-General of Police in Punjab is awaiting approval from Congress High Command. Tribune reported that the newly elected Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Channi and different senior Congress leaders had a marathon assembly to pick the brand new DGP. The listing of doable candidates has been despatched to Rahul Gandhi for last approval.
Sources informed Tribune that CM has favoured 1988 batch officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota. However, his appointment might get clouded by the caste equations. Sahota comes from the Scheduled Caste neighborhood. IAS Hussal Lal, a Dalit official, has already been appointed because the principal secretary to the CM, who himself belong to the Dalit Sikh neighborhood. As Congress needs to have some stability within the caste equation, the choice of DGP is just not going to be straightforward for the Punjab authorities.
Other doable names that got here ahead are 1986 batch IPS officer Sidharth Chattopadhyaya and 1987 batch officer VK Bhawra. These officers, together with Sahota, have over six months left for the service that made them eligible for the put up. CM Channi met Chattopadhyaya on Tuesday. Both Chattopadhyaya and Sahota have excessive possibilities as whereas Chattopadhyaya is near the brand new political group holding energy in Punjab. At the identical time, Sahota confronted virtually negligible opposition in the course of the assembly, the sources revealed.
Another catch within the appointment of the DGP is that the method has to undergo the Union Public Service Commission. Notably, the West Bengal authorities has appointed DGP Madan Malviya until the UPSC clears the panel of officers. The Punjab authorities might take the identical path and alter DGP by itself whereas UPSC clears the names of the officers.
Notably, in 2018 the Supreme Court had laid down a course of to nominate the DGP of a state. As per the order, the state authorities would ship names of 5 or extra officers to UPSC three months earlier than the retirement of the DGP. Earlier, the officer needed to have two years left in service to grow to be eligible for the put up of DGP that was diminished to 6 months by the Supreme Court in 2019.
Different lobbies are weighing in for his or her favorite identify as DGP, the ball is in Rahul Gandhi’s court docket to finalize the identify. Sources consider that the identify can be finalized by Wednesday evening.