BENGALURU: There is confusion regarding who will head the nearly 1lakh-strong police force in Karnataka from next month. While as per the Civil List of Indian Police Service (IPS) of Karnataka cadre, incumbent Director General & Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Alok Mohan is scheduled to retire this month-end, it is not yet clear whether the government will grant him a four-month extension till August this year.
Mohan belongs to the 1987 batch of IPS and is the senior-most IPS officer in Karnataka. He was appointed in-charge DG&IGP in May 2023 after his predecessor, Praveen Sood, was appointed Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Mohan’s appointment was regularised on August 5, 2023.
While the Supreme Court had issued directions on the appointment and a fixed two-year tenure for the Director General of Police (DGP) in the Prakash Singh judgment of 2006, the Karnataka Police Act, amended in 2012, states that the DG&IGP “so appointed shall have a tenure of not less than two years subject to superannuation”.
According to sources, there is “no clarity yet on the status of the incumbent police chief after April 30. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has not yet taken a decision on the issue”.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, they added that as per SC rules, the government has so far not sent the names of seniormost IPS officers who have completed 30 years of service to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), to begin the process of appointing the next DG&IGP. Normally, states send names to the Commission six months prior to the retirement of the incumbent police chief, but in Mohan’s case, the state had sent the names after appointing him in-charge DG&IGP because of Sood’s sudden appointment as CBI Director.
The UPSC shortlists three officers from the names sent, and sends its recommendation to the state government. The Chief Minister then appoints one of the three officers as the Head of Police Force (HoPF). “Last year, the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms (DP&AR) had issued a notification to two senior IPS officers -- DGP, Prisons & Correctional Services, Malini Krishnamurthy, and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ballari, BS Lokesh Kumar to submit their application for pension, gratuity etc.
While the latter is retiring this month, Krishnamurthy is superannuating in July. The DP&AR notification did not mention Mohan’s name, giving an indication that he may be given an extension. There is confusion in the absence of any government order/ notification. Review meetings with unit officers have been slotted for next month, but there is no clarity on who will head the meetings,” added sources.
As per the All India Service (AIS) (DCRB) Rules, 1958, the DP&AR issues a notification almost a year in advance to Class 1 officers who are retiring in the next one year, to submit their application for pension, gratuity, commutation of pension, group insurance, among other pension benefits for authorising pensioner benefits at an appropriate time.
After Mohan, there are four senior IPS officers who are in the reckoning for the top post. In order of seniority: DG, Fire & Emergency Services, State Disaster Response Force, Commandant General, Home Guards, Director, Civil Defence, Prashant Kumar Thakur, 1992 batch; DGP, Criminal Investigation Department, Special Units & Economic Offences, MA Saleem, 1993 batch; DGP & CMD, State Police Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation, K Ramachandra Rao, 1993 batch; DGP, Internal Security Division and Cyber Command, Pronab Mohanty, 1994 batch. These officers have tenures ranging from one (Saleem and Rao) to two (Thakur) and three years (Mohanty).