SC to hear on Monday plea alleging Odisha violated Prakash Singh guidelines for DGP appointment

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on September 7, Monday, the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) alleging that the Odisha government was trying to include a junior officer in the list of probable candidates for the DGP post in breach of the top court's 2006 Prakash Singh judgment.

According to the cause list, a bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana is slated to hear the PIL on September 7, Monday.

In the case, in the last hearing on September 2, P Chidambaram, senior lawyer and former Finance Minister appearing for the petitioner, had told the apex court that the rejoinder was filed on September 1.

Hearing this, amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) Raju Ramachandran said he would file his report. "Therefore, time is needed to file the report," he submitted. After this, he requested that time be granted till Monday, to which the bench agreed and adjourned the case to September 7.

In the hearing which is slated to be held on September 7, there is a possibility that the views and arguments of the parties on the amicus curiae's report will be heard.

In one of the hearings, the top court was informed by the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for Odisha, that the state had filed its response to the petition.

The PIL has alleged that Odisha was attempting to shortlist a junior-rank officer for DGP, contrary to the Supreme Court’s directions in the Prakash Singh versus Union of India (UOI) case, which mandate a panel of senior-most officers with minimum service tenure.

The petitioners have contended that the state’s move breaches the 2006 Prakash Singh case directions, which require the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) to prepare a panel of three senior-most eligible officers for DGP appointment to ensure transparency and insulation from political interference.

The top court, in a 2006 judgment in the Prakash Singh case, had made it clear that the office of DGP should be divorced from political or other external pressures.