08-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Prashant Thakur, Saleem in race to be next DG&IGP in Karnataka
BENGALURU: With incumbent Director General & Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Alok Mohan scheduled to retire on May 21, speculation about the next police chief has picked up pace in the state's bureaucracy.
According to sources, who did not wish to be identified, the office of the Chief Secretary has written to the Accountant General informing him about the superannuation of Mohan on May 21, on 'completion' of his two-year-term for disbursement of retirement benefits. The government has, however, not issued any order regarding his tenure so far, which has created a lot of confusion in the state bureaucracy.
As per the Civil List of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers of Karnataka cadre, Mohan was scheduled to retire on April 30 on attaining the age of 60 years. He was appointed in-charge DG&IGP on May 22, 2023 after his predecessor -- then police chief Praveen Sood -- was appointed Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Mohan's appointment as Head of Police Force (HoPF) was confirmed on August 5, 2023. He belongs to the 1987 batch of IPS and is the seniormost IPS officer in Karnataka.
The Supreme Court had issued directions on the appointment, and a fixed two-year tenure of the Director General of Police (DGP) in the Prakash Singh judgment of 2006, but the Karnataka Police (KP) Act, amended in 2012, states that the DG&IGP 'so appointed shall have a tenure of not less than two years, subject to superannuation'.
