Hyderabad: With the Supreme Court having set a four-week deadline for finalising the appointment of the Head of the Police Force (HoPF) or Director General of Police (DGP) in Telangana, attention has turned to how the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will shortlist the panel of three senior-most officers to be sent to the state government.
Senior police officers are closely watching the process, particularly the interpretation of UPSC guidelines regarding the minimum residual service requirement for officers eligible to be empanelled for the post of DGP.
What UPSC Guidelines Say
As per the UPSC norms for appointment of DGP/HoPF –
- The state government must forward a list of DGP-rank officers from its cadre to the UPSC.
- Eligible officers must have a minimum of six months of residual service from the date the vacancy occurs.
- The state government is required to send the list at least three months before the vacancy arises to allow sufficient time for empanelment.
These provisions have come under sharp focus amid delays and procedural lapses by the Telangana government.
Delay in Sending Panel to UPSC
The last full-time HoPF appointed through a UPSC panel was Anurag Sharma, who retired in November 2017 after completing a two-year tenure. However, the Telangana government did not initiate the formal UPSC process for selecting a successor for several years.
It was only in April 2025 that the state government sent a list of DGP-rank officers to the UPSC. The Commission objected to the delay and returned the list. A second list sent in December 2025 also met the same fate.
With the Supreme Court directing that the HoPF appointment process be completed within four weeks, the UPSC is now expected to act swiftly.
Debate Over ‘Date of Vacancy’ and Residual Service
A key issue under discussion is how the UPSC will interpret the “six months of residual service” rule – specifically, what it considers as the date of vacancy.
“We are assuming that UPSC will use the list sent by the state government in December for selecting the three senior-most officers. One has to wait and see if the Commission counts former in-charge DGP Jitender’s superannuation at the end of September 2025 as the date of vacancy,” a senior police officer said.
“If that is the case, B Shivadhar Reddy would become eligible to be empanelled,” the officer added.
Likely Officers in Contention
According to seniority and remaining service, the top DGP-rank officers from the Telangana cadre include –
- C V Anand (1991 batch): Senior-most officer with two years and four months of service remaining
- Vinayak Prabhakar Apte (1994 batch): Second in seniority with three years and eight months of service left
- B Shivadhar Reddy (1994 batch): Third in line, with around three months of service remaining until April 2026
Other DGP-rank officers in the cadre include Soumya Mishra and Shikha Goel, both from the 1994 batch.
The eligibility of B Shivadhar Reddy hinges entirely on whether the UPSC considers September 2025—the superannuation of former in-charge DGP Jitender – as the date of vacancy.
Final Appointment to Be Made by State Government
Once the UPSC finalises and forwards the panel of three empanelled officers, the Telangana government will select one for appointment as DGP.
A former senior police officer noted that the final appointment must adhere to Supreme Court mandates –
“As per the directions of the Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case, the newly appointed HoPF will have a minimum tenure of two years, irrespective of the officer’s date of superannuation.”
High Stakes for Telangana Police Leadership
The impending decision is being closely monitored within police circles, as the interpretation of UPSC guidelines – particularly on residual service – could set an important precedent. With judicial scrutiny, administrative delays, and seniority considerations all converging, the selection of Telangana’s next DGP has become a high-stakes institutional process.
