HC orders fresh DGP list, Dinesh ahead in new race
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The AP High Court on Thursday upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal order quashing the appointment of senior IPS official V. Dinesh Reddy as director-general of police (head of police force, HoPF).
A division bench comprising Justice Goda Raghuram and Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao directed the state government to select a new DGP in accordance with the Supreme Court judgement in the Prakash Singh case (which stipulates guidelines for the appointment of police officials to senior positions).
The High Court directed the government to send a list of all officers in the zone of consideration for appointment as DGP to the Union Public Service Commission. The UPSC will send back a shortlist of three eligible officers, and the government will have to choose one of them as DGP-HoPF.
DGP row: AP to decide on moving apex court
Government sources were of the view that senior IPS official V. Dinesh Reddy could become DGP again even if the state government followed the High Court directive as he is the senior-most serving officer after Umesh Kumar, who is currently under suspension. Gautam Kumar, another officer senior to Mr Reddy and who filed the petition, took voluntary retirement. “But the fundamental issue is whether or not to accept the Centre’s interference in the state’s domain of law and order,” sources said adding that a review petition against the judgement in the Prakash Singh case is still pending in the apex court.
Official sources told this newspaper that the government was expecting a judgement on these lines and it is likely to approach the Supreme Court. This was evident from the initial reaction of government sources that the judgement would only prolong the legal battle. A final decision will be taken after Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy returns from his three-day Indiramma Baata in West Godavari scheduled from Friday.
Earlier, the court gave the government one month from the receipt of the judgement to appoint the new DGP; till such time, it allowed Mr Dinesh Reddy to act as incharge DGP. The court said that Mr Reddy is not eligible to draw the additional salary that the head of the force is normally paid. The court imposed costs of Rs 5,000 on the government to be paid to AP Legal Services Authority for filing the writ petition on “specious, artificial and extravagant grounds.”
Justice Raghuram said the state government has “consciously and consistently disregarded and violated the specific, unambiguous and non-derogable directive of Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh case.” The government and Mr Dinesh Reddy had separately approached the High Court challenging the CAT order given in a case filed by Mr Gautam Kumar challenging the appointment of Mr Dinesh Reddy.
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