After the Uttar Pradesh government amended the appointment process for the Director General of Police (DGP) in a recent state Cabinet decision, it is now almost certain that the current acting DGP, Prashant Kumar, will be appointed to the permanent position.

The Cabinet’s decision has dashed the hopes of several IPS officers who had been waiting to attain this prestigious role. Sources within the state government indicated on Wednesday that, following the formation of the nomination committee, approval may soon be granted to confirm Prashant Kumar’s appointment as the permanent DGP.

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This would allow him to serve in the position for a full two-year term, extending his retirement date from May 30, 2025, to January 31, 2026, effectively providing him with an additional eight months in service.

Since the formation of the BJP government in the state in 2017, Uttar Pradesh has seen eight DGPs, of which only four held the post permanently. OP Singh served the longest term of two years.

Now, with this latest Cabinet decision, Prashant Kumar, a trusted officer of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, may also secure a two-year tenure. However, as a result, many IPS officers could retire without ever holding the DGP position.

This list includes prominent officers such as PV Ramasastri, Aditya Mishra, Sandeep Salunkhe, Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Bijay Kumar Maurya, MK Bashal, Tilottama Verma, Alok Sharma, Abhay Kumar Prasad, Deepesh Juneja, and Neera Rawat.

Following Prashant Kumar’s retirement, only officers set to retire after July 2026 will be considered for the DGP position.

Prashant Kumar was appointed as acting DGP on January 31, 2024, following the retirement of Vijay Kumar. His appointment to the acting role saw him supersede 16 senior IPS officers.