BENGALURU: With incumbent Director General & Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Alok Mohan scheduled to retire on May 21, speculation about the next police chief has picked up pace in the state’s bureaucracy.
According to sources, who did not wish to be identified, the office of the Chief Secretary has written to the Accountant General informing him about the superannuation of Mohan on May 21, on ‘completion’ of his two-year-term for disbursement of retirement benefits. The government has, however, not issued any order regarding his tenure so far, which has created a lot of confusion in the state bureaucracy.
As per the Civil List of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers of Karnataka cadre, Mohan was scheduled to retire on April 30 on attaining the age of 60 years. He was appointed in-charge DG&IGP on May 22, 2023 after his predecessor -- then police chief Praveen Sood -- was appointed Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Mohan’s appointment as Head of Police Force (HoPF) was confirmed on August 5, 2023. He belongs to the 1987 batch of IPS and is the seniormost IPS officer in Karnataka.
The Supreme Court had issued directions on the appointment, and a fixed two-year tenure of the Director General of Police (DGP) in the Prakash Singh judgment of 2006, but the Karnataka Police (KP) Act, amended in 2012, states that the DG&IGP “so appointed shall have a tenure of not less than two years, subject to superannuation”.
On the issue of Mohan’s succession, sources added that in compliance with the Supreme Court direction, the state government has sent the names of four seniormost IPS officers of the rank of DGP to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for shortlisting candidates for the next DG&IGP. It would, however, be the discretion of the chief minister to appoint one of them as HoPF.
After Mohan, there are four seniormost IPS officers in the state, who are in the reckoning for the top post. In order of seniority they are: Prashant Kumar Thakur, DG, Fire & Emergency Services, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Commandant General, Home Guards, Director, Civil Defence, of 1992 batch; MA Saleem, DGP, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Units & Economic Offences, of 1993 batch; K Ramachandra Rao, DGP & CMD, State Police Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation, also of 1993 batch; Pronab Mohanty, DGP, Internal Security Division (ISD) and Cyber Command, of 1994 batch of IPS. These officers have tenures ranging from one (Saleem and Rao) to two (Thakur) and three years (Mohanty).
With barely a fortnight left for the appointment of the next police chief, speculation around two senior IPS officers -- Thakur and Saleem -- has intensified. “UPSC may take time shortlisting the candidate/s and may not send its recommendation before May 20. In such an event, the government may appoint an in-charge DGP,” said sources.