Abhinav Kumar, the current acting Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttarakhand, will continue to serve as the head of the state’s police force. A 1996-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Kumar has held the additional charge of DGP for the past 10 months and will continue in his role despite being excluded from a recent panel of three names submitted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the permanent appointment to the position.
Earlier, reports had emerged that UPSC had forwarded a panel of three senior IPS officers for consideration for the DGP post. The names included in the panel are:
- Deepam Seth, an IPS officer from the 1995 batch.
- PVK Prasad, also from the 1995 batch.
- Amit Kumar Sinha, an officer from the 1997 batch.
However, Abhinav Kumar’s name was notably absent from the list, a decision attributed to technical grounds related to his cadre allocation. Kumar’s name appears on the Uttar Pradesh cadre list, but he has been serving in Uttarakhand since before the state’s formation. The matter is currently under legal scrutiny, with the Uttarakhand High Court having issued a stay on Kumar’s cadre allocation petition, allowing him to continue his duties as DGP.
The exclusion of Abhinav Kumar’s name from the UPSC panel raised questions, as he has been effectively serving as the DGP since November 2023, when he was appointed to the position temporarily after the state faced a shortage of qualified candidates at the DGP rank. According to the Supreme Court’s guidelines, an Additional Director General (ADG) officer with over 25 years of service can be temporarily appointed as acting DGP.
Despite the panel sent by UPSC, which now includes three officers eligible for the position, the government has stated that it will take a decision after carefully examining the recommendation, legal aspects, and further scrutiny of the situation.
Abhinav Kumar’s leadership has been marked by his steady handling of the state’s police force during a critical period. Under his leadership, the Uttarakhand Police has continued to manage law enforcement effectively across the state. His continued tenure has become a topic of intense debate, with the state government likely to make its final decision after reviewing the UPSC’s recommendations and any legal challenges surrounding the issue.
The Home Department has confirmed that a decision on the DGP’s appointment will be made after considering the legal complexities involved, particularly regarding Kumar’s cadre status.
