BHUBANESWAR: With the Director General of Police (DGP) selection process on the pause, the Odisha government on Friday handed additional charge of the head of police force to Crime Branch DG Vinaytosh Mishra with effect from August 16, the day incumbent police chief YB Khurania superannuates.
The chief minister’s office (CMO) said, CM Mohan Charan Majhi approved the proposal and Mishra will remain in additional charge of DGP from August 16 until further orders.
A day after the Supreme Court asked Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) not to finalise the DGP selection panel till the next hearing date on August 18, the government had to opt for the interim measure.
Mishra, a 1993 batch officer, was not in the fray for the next DGP as he did not meet the criteria of minimum residual service of six months before his retirement date at the time of empanelment.
Sources said the government had asked Mishra to look after the affairs of the police headquarters after Khurania left for New Delhi to attend the UPSC empanelment committee meeting on Thursday.
The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana posted the matter to August 18 to hear on a PIL which alleged that the state government was trying to include a junior officer in the list of probable candidates for the DGP post in violation of the apex court’s earlier directions in the Prakash Singh judgement.
The UPSC counsel assured the apex court that no meeting would be convened by it on the issue till the next date of hearing.
