Uttarakhand Urged to Revisit Police Chief Appointment Process

Abhinav Kumar, Uttarakhand's interim Director General of Police, urged the state government to adhere to the Police Act 2007 for appointing the police chief, rather than relying heavily on central agencies. He emphasized the importance of state-level autonomy and transparency in the appointment process.

Uttarakhand's interim Director General of Police, Abhinav Kumar, has called on the state government to adhere to the provisions of the Police Act 2007 in appointing the state's police chief.

Currently, the Union Public Service Commission and the Home Ministry play a decisive role in this process. Kumar criticized this practice as unsuitable both constitutionally and practically. According to the 1996 batch IPS officer, the state should form a committee to create a panel of eligible officers, from which the police chief would be appointed. This adheres to the Police Act's mandate that limits the panel's size to three times the number of sanctioned DGP-level posts.

Comparing to the recently amended rules in Uttar Pradesh following a Supreme Court directive, Kumar stressed the need for Uttarakhand to follow suit to ensure transparency and uphold the state's decision-making autonomy. Kumar has been serving as interim DGP since November 30, 2023.

(With inputs from agencies.)