New Delhi (19.12.2022): The Supreme Court of India has directed the Jharkhand government to respond to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to cure defects in the proposal for recommending the names of officers for the post of the DGP.

Incumbent Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Neeraj Sinha (IPS: 1987: JH) is scheduled to retire on February 11, 2023. The apex court is seized of a contempt petition against the Jharkhand government and Neeraj Sinha alleging that he has been occupying the post even after superannuation on January 31, 2022.

As per the present contempt plea, the present Jharkhand DGP has been holding the top post even after his superannuation on January 31, 2022. The Supreme Court had on July 14, 2021 issued notices on the contempt plea against the state government, its top officials, and the UPSC for alleged violation of its verdict. Sinha was later made a party to the contempt plea.

The Apex Court had on September 3, 2021 pulled up the state government and the UPSC for their role in the appointment of an interim DGP in alleged violation of the top court's judgment that had fixed two-year tenure for a state police chief who has to be selected from a list of senior police officers to be prepared by the UPSC. It was irked over the fact that the state government had then appointed Sinha as an ad-hoc Director General of Police (DGP) following which the UPSC was refusing to prepare a list of senior police officers for the selection of the DGP.