Dinesh Reddy's DGP Appointment Invalid: High Court

Upholding the Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) decision to set aside the appointment of AP director general of police (DGP) V Dinesh Reddy as the head of the Police Force (HoPF) by the state government, the High Court, on Thursday, rejected the government's petition challenging the order, and asked it to pay up a fine of Rs. 5,000.

The Division Bench of the court, comprising judges G Raghuram and M S Ramachandra Rao, while giving its orders, directed the state government to adhere to the CAT's order and send a new list of senior-most IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) within 2 weeks to facilitate the appointment of a new DGP.

The court also declared the appointment of Dinesh Reddy in DGP's post as invalid.

Disposing of a petition filed by IPS officer Gautam Kumar, who challenged that the government violated merit and seniority prescribed by the central government in the appointment of the DGP, the court directed the government to continue DGP Dinesh Reddy as the in-charge DGP till alternative arrangements are made.

The court directed the government to appoint a panel based on the recommendations of the UPSC selection list, and complete the process of appointing a new DGP within a week.

In his petition, Gautam Kumar had said that the state government had violated the Supreme Court order in the Prakash Singh case, in which it had said that the state government should send a list of 3 senior-most IPS officers to the UPSC for the selection of the DGP.

Last year, the CAT set aside the appointment of Aravind Rao to the top post, on the basis of the same argument by Kumar.

The government, in its defence had said that it wanted a DGP with a longer tenure, and at the time of his appointment, Dinesh Reddy had over two years left in service. (INN)