The Supreme Court has held that the appointment of Tadasha Mishra as Jharkhand’s Director General of Police, violated its direction that an officer must have at least six months’ residual service left at the time of assuming the office.
Mishra, a 1994-batch IPS officer, was appointed DGP by the Hemant Soren-led government in December last year, just a day before her scheduled retirement.
The observation came in a matter concerning DGP appointments by states. Senior advocate and amicus curiae Raju Ramchandran has submitted a note to the court following its August 18 order.
The matter relates to a petition by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, challenging the state’s amended rules for appointing the DGP.
The Supreme Court observed that appointing a DGP just one day before superannuation was clearly in complete violation of the principles laid down in the Prakash Singh judgments.
The 2006 apex court judgment had said, the DGP must be selected from among three seniormost officers empanelled by the UPSC, based on their service record, experience and suitability to head the police force.