Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government to expedite the appointment of a regular Director General of Police (DGP), observing that the top police post cannot remain under an ad hoc arrangement indefinitely.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor issued the direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Thamman. The court asked the state to take an appropriate decision on the appointment and directed the Chief Secretary, K.A.P. Sinha, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, to place a compliance affidavit on record by the next hearing on October 13, 2026.
Court Questions Prolonged Ad Hoc Arrangement
The court observed that the appointment of the DGP is important for maintaining law and order in the state and said an ad hoc arrangement should not continue indefinitely. The petitioner had argued that Punjab has been functioning without a regular police chief for an extended period.
The Punjab government told the court that the UPSC-recommended panel is under active consideration. The state also informed the court that proceedings concerning the DGP appointment are pending before the Supreme Court. A hearing in that matter has been scheduled for October 8, according to reports from the proceedings.
UPSC Panel Has Three 1992-Batch IPS Officers
The UPSC had shortlisted three officers for the Punjab DGP post in June after the state submitted a list of eligible officers. The panel comprises Sharad Satya Chauhan, Harpreet Singh Sidhu and Gaurav Yadav, all from the 1992 IPS batch.
Gaurav Yadav has been serving as the state’s officiating DGP since July 2022, while Sharad Satya Chauhan and Harpreet Singh Sidhu are senior officers from the same batch. Official IPS records list Chauhan and Sidhu ahead of Yadav in the 1992-batch Punjab cadre seniority sequence.
Under the procedure arising from the Supreme Court’s directions in the Prakash Singh police reforms case, the UPSC empanels three eligible officers after receiving the state’s proposal, from which the state selects its DGP.
Supreme Court Proceedings Also Pending
The dispute over Punjab’s regular DGP appointment has also been before the Supreme Court. Earlier this year, the apex court had questioned states, including Punjab, over the continued use of acting or officiating police chiefs and reiterated the importance of following the prescribed DGP selection process.
The Punjab government has meanwhile maintained that the UPSC panel is under consideration. The High Court’s latest order requires the state to place its decision before the court through the Chief Secretary’s compliance affidavit at the next hearing.
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