SC deadline pushes TN to restart DGP appointment process

Chennai: The process of appointing a regular Director-General of Police (DGP) and Head of Police Force (HoPF) for Tamil Nadu has been set in motion once again, following a recent directive from the Supreme Court mandating that the selection be completed within three weeks.

The order was issued while disposing of a contempt petition filed by Chennai-based petitioner Kishore K. Swamy, who alleged that the State government had failed to adhere to the Apex Court's guidelines on the appointment of regular DGPs.

Acting on the court's direction, senior officials have resumed discussions to finalise a fresh panel of eligible DGP-rank officers to be forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for empanelment.

Under the Supreme Court's framework laid down in the landmark Prakash Singh case, the State government must send a panel of eligible officers to the UPSC, which will then shortlist three names.

From this list, the State will appoint one officer as DGP/HoPF, granting a minimum tenure of two years irrespective of the officer's date of superannuation.

According to official sources, the State is expected to forward its panel within a week. The UPSC will then have two weeks to finalise the shortlist.

In terms of seniority, Seema Agrawal, Rajeev Kumar, and Sandeep Rai Rathore remain the top contenders. Their names had earlier been shortlisted by the UPSC in October 2025 when Tamil Nadu submitted its list of eligible officers.

However, the State government did not make a selection at that time and allowed G. Venkatraman to continue as DGP(in-charge).

On October 22, Law Minister S. Reghupathy publicly stated that the three names recommended by the UPSC were not acceptable to the State, alleging that the Union government had disregarded Tamil Nadu's views during the empanelment process.

Other senior DGP-rank officers in the State include K. Vanniaperumal, Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Vinit Dev Wankhede, Sanjay Mathur, S. Davidson Devasirvatham, Sandeep Mittal and Bala Naga Devi.

Sources indicated that there has been no confirmed change in the eligibility status of the top three officers.

Although a minimum residual service of six months is typically required, it is calculated from the date the vacancy arose - September 1, 2025 - which may keep certain officers within consideration.

Officials said the State would comply with the UPSC's Single Window System while finalising and forwarding the panel.