Why Has No Permanent DGP Been Appointed In Uttar Pradesh For 3 Years?
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Rajeev Krishna is the new acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh, replacing Prashant Kumar and becoming the ninth DGP since 2017
The Uttar Pradesh government has named senior IPS officer Rajeev Krishna as the new acting Director General of Police (DGP), replacing Prashant Kumar, whose term many expected to be extended. With this appointment, Krishna becomes the ninth DGP since 2017 and the fifth to hold the post in an acting capacity.
The repeated appointment of acting DGPs has raised questions about the state's reluctance to follow the Supreme Court-mandated procedure for selecting a full-time top cop. The apex court, in its 2006 ruling in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case, mandated that all states must forward a list of the three most senior eligible officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which would then recommend one name. The chosen officer would serve a fixed two-year term.
However, the state has kept the top post firmly within the government's discretionary control since 2021.
In 2024, the Yogi Adityanath government introduced the Uttar Pradesh Police (Selection and Appointment to the Post of Director General of Police) Rules, a legislative move ostensibly designed to institutionalise the DGP selection process. The rules empowered the state government to make the appointment but did not fundamentally alter the lack of UPSC involvement for acting DGPs.
While there were murmurs that then-acting DGP Prashant Kumar would be given a formal two-year term, the government ultimately refrained from doing so, again opting for a temporary appointment.
With multiple elections looming including panchayat and urban body polls, and the crucial 2029 Lok Sabha elections, this temporary appointment has led to several questions from the opposition. Several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, have frequently accused the UP police of being skewed toward Thakur officers, an allegation aimed at highlighting caste imbalances under the Yogi Adiyanath administration.
Why Rajeev Krishna?
According to sources, 11 senior IPS officers were in contention for the top job this time, including one woman officer, raising hopes that UP might see its first-ever female DGP. However, Rajeev Krishna emerged as the government's pick – a choice driven, insiders say, by his reputation as a field-oriented, no-nonsense officer with a clean image and a track record of loyal service.
Currently serving as acting DGP, Krishna is expected to remain in the post until March 2026. By that time, with several of his seniors due to retire, he may rise to fourth in the seniority list, making a case for a potential permanent appointment, depending upon the government's discretion.
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