Punjab set to get regular DGP soon; UPSC schedules June 30 meeting to shortlist panel of senior IPS officers

Punjab is set to move closer to the appointment of a regular Director General of Police (DGP), with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) scheduled to meet on June 30 to shortlist a panel of officers for the state’s top police post.

The development comes after the Punjab government submitted a list of 14 eligible IPS officers to the UPSC earlier this year. Following its deliberations, the commission is expected to recommend a panel of three officers, from which the state government will select and appoint the next permanent DGP.

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The process gained momentum after the Supreme Court, in February this year, expressed concern over several states, including Punjab, continuing to function with acting police chiefs instead of making regular appointments. Subsequently, the UPSC sought details of eligible officers from the Punjab government to initiate the selection process.

The Punjab government forwarded the names of 14 senior IPS officers on April 6. The list includes incumbent acting DGP Gaurav Yadav, a 1992-batch officer who has been heading the state police force in an officiating capacity since July 2022.

According to seniority records, the most senior officer among the 1992 batch candidates is Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan, followed by Harpreet Singh Sidhu, Gaurav Yadav, and Kuldeep Singh. The list submitted to the UPSC also includes officers from the 1993 and 1994 batches.

Officials familiar with the process said the leading contenders for inclusion in the final panel are Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan, Harpreet Singh Sidhu, and Gaurav Yadav, all belonging to the 1992 batch. If the UPSC recommends the three senior-most eligible officers, Yadav is expected to remain in contention for the permanent post.

Apart from the four officers from the 1992 batch, the state government’s proposal includes Gurpreet Kaur Deo, Jitendra Kumar Jain, and Shashi Prabha Dwivedi from the 1993 batch. Seven officers from the 1994 batch, Sudhanshu Shekhar Srivastava, Praveen Kumar Sinha, Amardeep Singh Rai, V Neerja, Anita Punj, Naresh Kumar, and Ram Singh, have also been considered.

Sources said some senior officers are not part of the active race for the position. Formerly eligible officer Samant Goel is understood to have conveyed his unwillingness to be considered, while Arpit Shukla and Ishwar Singh are nearing retirement and are therefore unlikely to figure in the final selection process.

Under the prescribed procedure, a committee headed by the UPSC Chairperson examines the names forwarded by the state government. The panel also includes the Union Home Secretary or nominee, the state Chief Secretary, the serving DGP, and the head of a central police organisation not belonging to the concerned state cadre. The committee prepares a shortlist of three officers, after which the state government makes the final appointment.

The appointment of a regular DGP is expected to bring an end to the prolonged period during which Punjab has functioned under an acting police chief and could provide greater administrative continuity in the state’s law enforcement leadership.