The Supreme Court has directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) not to finalise the selection of the Director General of Police (DGP) of Odisha until August 18, when it will consider a petition challenging the selection process.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked the UPSC to defer its meeting, reportedly scheduled for Thursday, to finalise the DGP selection until the next date of hearing.
Senior Advocate P Chidambaram mentioned a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the bench, challenging the Odisha DGP selection process on the ground that it allegedly violates the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the landmark Prakash Singh judgment.
Although the matter was listed for Thursday, Chidambaram submitted that it was unlikely to be taken up. He therefore mentioned it before the bench rose for lunch and sought an urgent hearing, pointing out that the UPSC was scheduled to meet to finalise the candidate.
Chidambaram alleged that an officer was promoted on Wednesday, allegedly in anticipation of the Supreme Court hearing, so that the officer could be included in the panel forwarded to the UPSC.
Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya denied any violation of the prescribed norms and questioned the maintainability of the PIL, arguing that the dispute essentially concerned a service matter.
The bench also expressed reservations regarding the maintainability of the petition. CJI Surya Kant pointed out that none of the officers allegedly affected by the selection process had approached the Court.
The bench subsequently sought the views of Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, who is serving as amicus curiae in the Prakash Singh matter. Ramachandran supported the petition and submitted that the DGP selection process was being conducted in violation of the guidelines laid down in the judgment.
Taking note of the amicus curiae’s submissions, the Court directed the counsel appearing for the UPSC to defer the scheduled meeting.
The petition will now be considered by the Supreme Court on August 18.
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