As delay to appoint new Director General of Police(DGP) by Uttarakhand government continued, acting head of the state police Abhinav Kumar questioned the dominance of UPSC and union home ministry in the present selection module. He said Uttarakhand government must follow State Police Act 2007 and UP’s new norms in appointing DGP.

Officials in the state home department informed that Kumar said this in a representation made by him to the state home secretary Shailesh Bagoli as Pushkar Singh Dhami government has failed to pick a name for appointing regular DGP from a three-member panel of the probable names sent by the UPSC.

Abhinav Kumar, whose name was not included in the panel sent by the UPSC, said in his representation that presently state government follows a process for appointing DGP persuing a 2006 Supreme Court judgement in Prakash Singh versus others case. He added “UPSC and the Union Home Ministry play decisive role in the existing format for appointing state police chief which is not appropriate as per the constitution of India.” Kumar termed predominance of UPSC and union home ministry in selection of the state DGP as impractical. He suggested the state government must consider and follow the provisions of Uttarakhand Police Act-2007 in the appointment of the DGP.

In his representation he also said section-20 of the State Police Act-2007, provides that state government will appoint DGP through the Appointments Committee for control, direction and supervision of the police force. State acting DGP stressed in his representation “since the police system is a state subject in List-2 of the Constitution of India ,it is important that Uttarakhand also considers implementing the same tp ensure transparency, autonomy and decisive role of the state government in the appointment of the DGP.”

Kumar further buttressed his arguement taking recourse to the Uttar Pradesh government’s recent decision in this regard. He said that Uttar Pradesh government has framed new norms for appointing DGP to establish its decisive role in the process. Kumar termed UP’s decision as progressive and requested Dhami government “to notify new norms of appointment of the DGP on the lines of the Uttar Pradesh, to maintain the independence and integrity of the police force.”