NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court agreed to list for hearing on Thursday a plea of the Centre seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Jharkhand government and others for appointing senior IPS officer Tadasha Mishra as the state DGP on December 30, 2025, a day before her retirement.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was urged by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the contempt plea be also listed for hearing along with other pending petitions.
The top court is scheduled to hear other petitions pertaining to appointment of Mishra as the Director General of Police (DGP) allegedly in contravention of the apex court guidelines.
The CJI said the plea of the Centre will also be listed for hearing on Thursday.
The JMM government's appointment of Mishra as Jharkhand DGP on December 30, 2025, a day before her retirement, was in violation of the Supreme Court's direction that an officer must have at least six months' residual service left at the time of assuming the office, the top court was earlier told by senior advocate and amicus curiae Raju Ramchandran.
Ramchandran is assisting the bench hearing pleas related to alleged violation of the apex court's directions by various states on the procedures to be adopted in DGP appointments.
Under the landmark Prakash Singh judgments, an officer must have at least six months of residual service to be considered for the post of DGP to ensure stability and merit.
By appointing Mishra as DGP 24 hours before her retirement, the state effectively granted her a two-year extension.
The 2006 apex court verdict and subsequent directions in the Prakash Singh case had said the DGP of a state shall be "selected by the state government from amongst the three senior-most officers of the department, who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC on the basis of their length of service, very good record and range of experience for heading the police force".
And, once a person has been selected for the job, they should have a minimum tenure of at least two years irrespective of the date of superannuation, it had said.
