The Ministry of Home Affairs has reinstated senior IPS officer Gurjinder Pal Singh, ending his professional exile and clearing his path to the coveted Director General (DG) post in Chhattisgarh.

A 1994-batch officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, Singh had faced compulsory retirement in July 2023 over allegations of disproportionate assets, sedition, and extortion. The Chhattisgarh High Court, in an observation, termed the charges against him as malicious prosecution.

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The Ministry’s decision follows a directive from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which overturned Singh’s suspension and compulsory retirement orders. Singh has been reinstated with effect from July 20, 2023, the date of his suspension.

Singh had challenged the compulsory retirement order in CAT, which declared the decision invalid and ordered his reinstatement. Subsequently, the High Court quashed all criminal cases against him, including sedition charges, terming the prosecution as malicious and politically motivated.

Advocate Himanshu Pandey, representing Singh, exposed key flaws in the investigations. In the disproportionate assets case, Pandey pointed out that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) failed to implicate the person from whom gold was seized. Instead, the gold was falsely attributed to Singh. Moreover, the scooter used to transport the gold was neither owned by Singh nor registered under his family’s name.

Pandey also highlighted the questionable extortion case filed in Supela, terming it a retaliatory move registered years after the alleged incident. “The delayed filing of the case raises serious doubts about its intent and validity,” he asserted.

On the sedition charges, Pandey revealed that the case was built on torn pieces of paper allegedly found at Singh’s residence. He argued in court that these fragments lacked any incriminating content and no conspiracy could be inferred. “Even the ACB’s videography of the documents failed to provide clarity or substantiate the allegations,” Pandey added.

With his reinstatement, GP Singh has reentered the race for the DG post in Chhattisgarh. The state currently has one DGP and three DG-level officers. While IPS officers Pawan Deo, Arundev Gautam, and Himanshu Gupta were recently promoted to DG rank, the retirement of DGP Ashok Juneja in February 2025 is expected to create a key vacancy.

Sources indicate that Singh may initially be assigned administrative responsibilities at the police headquarters before being given a mainstream portfolio. Discussions regarding his posting are underway between the state’s Home Department and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.

GP Singh’s career has been riddled with controversy since 2021, when disproportionate asset charges surfaced. Raids allegedly yielded incriminating documents, leading to multiple FIRs. However, Singh has consistently denied ownership of the properties in question, describing the cases as fabricated.

Singh’s legal team further alleged that he was targeted for investigating corruption in the Civil Supplies Corporation, which implicated influential political figures. Singh claimed he faced pressure to manipulate witnesses and implicate political leaders but refused to comply.

As GP Singh resumes his duties, his reinstatement signifies a major vindication of his claims of political victimization. While the Home Department deliberates his next posting, Singh’s potential rise to the senior rank would mark the beginning of a new chapter in his tumultuous yet resilient career.