The Supreme Court’s direction making its February 2026 Telangana judgment on DGP appointments applicable to all states has placed Jharkhand under a defined timeline to ensure compliance with the UPSC-led selection process.
Hearing issues arising from the Tamil Nadu appointment, a Bench led by Chief Justice Justice Surya Kant observed that the conflict between states and the Union Public Service Commission over the appointment of regular Directors General of Police stood settled by its February ruling in the Telangana matter.
The Court directed that paragraphs 10 to 12 of that judgment be followed by all states and the UPSC, granting only a limited modification to Tamil Nadu due to its specific circumstances. The entire process, the Bench indicated, must be completed within one month.
The ruling traces its foundation to the binding directions in Prakash Singh v. Union of India, in which the Supreme Court mandated that states forward a panel of eligible senior IPS officers to the UPSC. The Commission would then shortlist three officers based on merit, seniority and service record. The state government must appoint one of them as DGP, with a minimum tenure of two years to ensure functional stability and insulation from political interference.
In Jharkhand, DGP appointments have previously drawn scrutiny. During the tenure of former DGP Anurag Gupta, questions were raised in political and legal circles regarding adherence to the Supreme Court’s guidelines and the role of the UPSC in the empanelment process.
At present, Tadasha Mishra is serving as the state’s Director General of Police. With the Court reiterating that the Telangana framework will uniformly govern such appointments across the country, the Jharkhand government may need to review and, if necessary, formally align its procedure with the UPSC-mandated mechanism within the stipulated time frame.
BJP spokesperson Ajay Sah said the state must ensure transparent compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions. “The Prakash Singh guidelines are clear. The UPSC’s role cannot be bypassed. Jharkhand should complete the process within the timeline fixed by the Court,” he said, adding that institutional procedure must prevail over political discretion.
Whether the state moves swiftly to reaffirm procedural compliance within the one-month window will now be closely watched.