New Delhi: In a major decision made by the UP Cabinet on Monday, the Director General of Police (DGP) will now be appointed at the state level, and the state government will not have to send the names to the UPSC panel for the top cop’s appointment. The minimum tenure of the DGP in UP will now be two years.
In the cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the ‘Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh Selection and Appointment Rules 2024’ policy was approved. The Cabinet gave its nod to the guidelines for the selection of the DGP of UP during the meeting.
Under the policy, a committee chaired by a retired High Court judge will be responsible for selecting the DGP. The nomination committee will include the Chief Secretary, a representative from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Chairman of the UP Public Service Commission or a designated representative, the Additional Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary of Home, and one retired DGP. The DGP will be appointed from candidates who have at least six months of service remaining until retirement and only those serving at the DGP level in Pay Matrix Level 16.
The state government may remove the DGP from their position before the end of the two-year tenure only if they are found involved in criminal or corruption cases or are unable to perform their duties effectively.
The aim of this policy is to establish an independent and transparent process for selecting a DGP, free from political or executive sway, and designed specifically to address the unique policing needs of the state.
What was the procedure before
Earlier, as per rules, the names of officers holding the DG rank with a clean record were sent to a UPSC panel that had the chairman, the Union home secretary, the current DGP of the state, the sitting chief secretary, and the head of a central paramilitary force who was not from the cadre of the state for which the DGP was being selected. Three shortlisted names were then sent to the state government. The state government would choose one of them to serve as the DGP.
