BHUBANESWAR: In a move that divests the director general of police (DGP) of critical supervisory powers, the Odisha government has ordered that a panel headed by the Home secretary will now decide transfers and postings of police officers in deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and equal ranks in the state.
A Home department notification said the transfer and postings in the rank of DSPs/assistant commandant (AC) and additional superintendent of police (ASP)/deputy commandant (DC) will be carried out at its level by constituting a committee.
The transfer and posting committee, it said, will be chaired by the Home secretary with the DGP as a member. A second member will be the special secretary/additional secretary or joint secretary of Home department (in-charge of the establishment).
In the notification issued on Wednesday, the Home department said the committee will function as a forum of appeal for disposing of representation from officers regarding their transfers and postings.
It was in 2002 the state government had vested the DGP with the power of making transfers and postings of police officers in the rank of DSP/AC and ASP/DC which back then was carried out by the Home department.
However, the government’s decision of reversing a 22 year-old order that takes the power away from DGP has not gone down well with the police fraternity.
“The government’s decision to constitute a committee at Home department level to decide the transfers and postings of DSPs and ASPs is objectionable. It seems the government wants to vest more power with the IAS officers,” said former DGP Bipin Bihari Mishra.
Mishra pointed out that the power was vested with the DGP back in 2002 because the Home department was bogged down by work pressure and the reform was a welcome move. The DGP has all the information about officers, Mishra said and expressed skepticism over functioning of the committee under the chairmanship of Home secretary who does not have insight in such matters.
Another former DGP said the committee has Home department’s additional chief secretary (or Home secretary) as its chairman and the decision may not be welcomed by the police fraternity as DGP is senior to him in the rank. “Besides, the panel has two Home department officers and one representation from the police establishment which is lopsided,” he added.
As per Supreme Court’s directive, the Police Establishment Board can decide on transfers, postings promotions of police officers of and below the rank of DSP. However, the issue here is that DGP being the senior is the member of the committee, he said. The DGP is in the Chief Secretary rank.
The formers DGPs believe the move will impact efficiency and speed of the functioning since the number of DSP and equal rank officers has grown multi-fold since 2002.
Another former DGP said the decision may also encroach into powers vested under Urban Police Act 2003 to the Commissioner of Police for transfer and posting of Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) who are DSP-ranked officers.