NEW DELHI: The ‘technical’ ground that reportedly eliminated senior IPS officials like Rakesh Asthana and YC Modi from the race for the CBI director’s post — minimum sixmonth tenure in service remaining for a DG-level appointment — may not apply to appointments for other central police organisations with official sources insisting that the SC ruling in this regard only applies to state DGP selections.
As per senior IPS officers that TOI spoke to, the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling that only officers with at least six months left for superannuation be considered for appointment as DGPs pertains exclusively to the state police. A senior government functionary, who didn’t want to be named, endorsed this view. However, TOI has learnt the application of this rule to CBI director’s post was borne out of an interpretation of the SC ruling extending to DG-level posts in Central police organisations as well. This may mean that the same may not be applied to other DG-level posts at the Centre, leaving the CBI director’s appointment as a one-off case.
A senior IPS official told TOI that the CBI director’s appointment was as per the process outlined in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, in line with the Supreme Court ruling in the Vineet Narain case. “These do not lay down any sixmonth-remainder-service limitation,” said the officer.
As per another police officer, if the same rule were to be applied to top posts in other central police and para-military organisations — RAW, Intelligence Bureau, BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, NSG, etc — many senior IPS officers may lose out on eligibility. “What may make matters worse is that sometimes top posts in central police outfits are not filled up as soon as they become vacant,” the officer pointed out. In most of appointments at helm of central police or para-military organisations, the chosen officers had over six months of tenure left. Both RAW and IB chiefs have a fixed two-year tenure.
As per senior IPS officers that TOI spoke to, the Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling that only officers with at least six months left for superannuation be considered for appointment as DGPs pertains exclusively to the state police. A senior government functionary, who didn’t want to be named, endorsed this view. However, TOI has learnt the application of this rule to CBI director’s post was borne out of an interpretation of the SC ruling extending to DG-level posts in Central police organisations as well. This may mean that the same may not be applied to other DG-level posts at the Centre, leaving the CBI director’s appointment as a one-off case.
A senior IPS official told TOI that the CBI director’s appointment was as per the process outlined in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, in line with the Supreme Court ruling in the Vineet Narain case. “These do not lay down any sixmonth-remainder-service limitation,” said the officer.
As per another police officer, if the same rule were to be applied to top posts in other central police and para-military organisations — RAW, Intelligence Bureau, BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, NSG, etc — many senior IPS officers may lose out on eligibility. “What may make matters worse is that sometimes top posts in central police outfits are not filled up as soon as they become vacant,” the officer pointed out. In most of appointments at helm of central police or para-military organisations, the chosen officers had over six months of tenure left. Both RAW and IB chiefs have a fixed two-year tenure.