The Supreme Court criticized the Nagaland government
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Nagaland Government Criticized by Supreme Court
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has blasted the Nagaland government for extending the tenure of the DGP.
While hearing a petition, a bench comprising Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Hema Kohli on Monday noted that the current IPS officer, T.J.
Longkumar participated in the State Police Establishment Board meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary which recommended his 6-month extension.
The Supreme Court said the Nagaland government should put its house in order, and asked it to provide fresh names of eligible officers from the state cadre to the UPSC for the appointment of a new police chief.
The bench asked counsel for the Nagaland government to inform the chief secretary that the court had taken a very serious view that the DGP was part of the meeting, where the proposal for tenure extension was approved.
Advocates Kaveetha Wadia and Astha Sharma, representing the Nagaland Law Students Federation and others, directed Nagaland to recall its August 31 order granting the six-month extension to Longkumar.
The lawyer argued that this is nothing but a violation of the Supreme Court’s judgment and order passed in July 2018, which said that there should be no acting DGP and that the tenure of the DGP is two years.
Referring to Longkumer’s extension, the lawyer added that his stay in office violated the rule of law.
The bench said that Nagaland should immediately send the list of officers included in the panel for the post of DGP to the UPSC by October 31, taking into account the loopholes identified by the UPSC, as per law.
The UPSC will take a decision on the names recommended to the panel by November 30.
The counsel for the Nagaland government argued that the state government did not favor any particular person for the top post in the police establishment and no senior officer was available to replace Longkumer.
In July 2018, the Supreme Court had issued directions regarding police reforms in the country.
It barred all state governments and union territories from deputing any police officer as Acting DGP to avoid bias and nepotism.
