The Kerala Director General of Police (DGP), Shaik Darvesh Saheb, is set to retire on June 30. A 1990-batch IPS officer, Saheb’s retirement has triggered the commencement of the process to select his successor.
To find a replacement, the state government has initiated the procedure by contacting six senior IPS officers, each with over 30 years of service. These officers have been asked to submit their resumes and express their willingness to be considered as candidates for the top police post. The list of probables will be forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for review.
The six officers approached are: DGPs Nitin Agrawal, Ravada A Chandrasekhar, and Yogesh Gupta; and ADGPs Manoj Abraham, S. Suresh, and M. R. Ajith Kumar.
Among the candidates, Nitin Agrawal, a 1990-batch officer, is the senior-most. Before his current role as Kerala’s Road Safety Commissioner, he served as the BSF Director General. He is slated to retire in June 2026.
Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, a 1991-batch officer, is currently serving as a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and will retire in June next year.
Yogesh Gupta, a 1993-batch officer, is the Director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, with his tenure running until 2030.
Manoj Abraham, a 1994-batch officer, currently serves as the ADGP for law and order and will retire in 2031.
S. Suresh, also of the 1995 batch, holds the position of Additional Director in the Special Protection Group (SPG), which provides security to the Prime Minister. He is due to retire in 2031.
M.R. Ajith Kumar, another 1995-batch officer, is the ADGP of the Armed Police Battalion, with retirement set for December 31, 2028.
However, two candidates—Ravada and Suresh—are already working in prominent agencies, the IB and SPG, and may have the opportunity to take up leadership positions within these organizations. Their willingness to compete for the DGP post remains uncertain.
Sources indicate that the Kerala government plans to send the list of potential candidates to the UPSC by April. The UPSC will then shortlist three names, which will be forwarded to the state government for the final selection of the new DGP.
