The rules for the selection of the DGP in UP have been prepared, and the Yogi Cabinet has approved them. Now, the name of the DGP in UP will be decided by itself; a panel will not be sent to UPSC for this. A committee headed by a retired High Court judge will Select the new DGP.
The selection of DGP in Uttar Pradesh has long been a matter of dispute between the Center and the Uttar Pradesh government. On July 1, 2021, after the consent of the DoPT, 1987 batch IPS Mukul Goyal was made DGP, but just 10 months later on May 11, 2022, Mukul Goyal was removed from the post by the Uttar Pradesh government on the grounds of his lax supervision and made DG Defense from DGP. When the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) asked the UP government the reason for this, the reply was that Mukul Goyal is not eligible to become DGP, there should be qualification along with seniority.
Just two days after removing Mukul Goyal, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed DS Chauhan, who was DG Intelligence, as the acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh. He remained the acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh till his retirement on 31 March 2023. After this, DG Recruitment Board RK Vishwakarma was made the acting DGP, who appointed Vijay Kumar as the new acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh after RK Vishwakarma retired on 31 May 2023. When Vijay Kumar retired on 31 January 2024, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed Prashant Kumar as the acting DGP. That is, after the removal of Mukul Goyal on 11 May 2022, the acting DGP has been handling the work in Uttar Pradesh for the last two and a half years.
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How does an officer become a DGP in UP now?
According to the procedure adopted so far for the selection of DGP, the Uttar Pradesh government sends the names of all DG rank officers to the Union Public Service Commission. Before the Union Public Service Commission, the Central Department of Personnel Training (DoPT) sends a panel of three senior-most officers, whose tenure is at least 2 years. The state government does not send the names of those DG officers who are going to retire in 6 months or less. One of the three officers sent by the Union Public Service Commission is made the DGP.
When Yogi Adityanath’s government came to power in Uttar Pradesh, there was a constant shortage of officers who could meet the standards on which the government was working to maintain law and order. The trusted officers of the government were juniors, for whom the standards of the Union Public Service Commission were coming in the way of appointing a DGP. Now, after the proposal is passed in the cabinet, the interference of the Union Public Service Commission will end.
Now the DGP of Uttar Pradesh will be selected by a committee headed by a retired High Court judge. The chairman of this committee will be a retired High Court judge. Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, the person nominated by the Union Public Service Commission, Chairman or nominee of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, Principal Secretary Home, or retired DGP who has worked in Uttar Pradesh Police, this committee will select the permanent DGP. According to the proposal passed by the cabinet, the tenure of the DGP appointed in the new system will be 2 years.
