IPS officers Ashish Singh and DS Kutey recently faced scrutiny from the Election Commission of India (ECI) for allegedly influencing the 2024 General Elections. While the ECI revoked DS Kutey’s suspension on June 6, directing the Odisha government to take appropriate action against Singh for health-related misrepresentation, Kutey’s reposting remains uncertain. Singh was transferred to the Home Department as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), but there is no update on Kutey’s new role, raising questions about administrative efficiency and fairness.
Former Chief Secretary Sahadev Sahoo criticized the lack of inquiry and action following the ECI’s directives, highlighting the growing number of OSDs in the Home Department. Besides Singh, senior IPS officers SM Narvane and Ritu Arora have also been appointed as OSDs, despite numerous vacant IPS posts in the state. This situation has led to concerns about paying salaries to officers without assigning them significant responsibilities.
Former police IG Batakrushna Tripathy questioned the rationale behind these OSD appointments, suggesting that officers should be given other responsibilities rather than being sidelined. The handling of these appointments has sparked debate on whether transferring officials accused of unfair practices is justified without a thorough investigation.
