What happened: UPSC agreed to defer the Odisha next DGP finalisation meeting
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) told the Supreme Court that it would not hold a scheduled meeting to finalise the selection of the next Director General of Police (DGP) for Odisha until the Supreme Court’s next hearing on August 18. The Supreme Court accepted this deferment after considering a petition that raised concerns about the Odisha DGP appointment process.
Background and earlier position: Prakash Singh directions and the petition’s core claims
The development arose from a petition alleging that the Odisha DGP appointment process violated the Supreme Court’s 2006 Prakash Singh judgment. The petitioners argued that the Prakash Singh direction aims to insulate the DGP office from political and other external pressures.
The petitioners, represented by senior advocate P. Chidambaram, alleged that Odisha sought to include a junior officer in the candidate list by making a promotion shortly before the Supreme Court hearing. The petition framed this as a way of bypassing the Supreme Court’s scrutiny during the pendency of the case.
The Supreme Court noted the Prakash Singh direction that the DGP office should not be subject to undue influence—an idea that links police governance to rule-of-law safeguards in selection and posting.
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