DGP promotions: Three seniormost ADGPs facing departmental inquiries may lead to out-of-turn promotions

With two Director-General of Police (DGP) posts becoming vacant by the end of July, two seniormost Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP)-rank officials are to be promoted as DGPs. However, three seniormost ADGPs of the State — Alok Kumar (1994 batch), B. Dayananda (1994 batch), and Amrit Paul (1995 batch) — are facing departmental inquiries, which as of now rule them out for consideration for promotions.

If they do not get legal relief and the State government decides to go ahead with promotions next in the seniority list, Umesh Kumar and Arun Chakravarthy J., both from the 1995 batch, will get out-of-turn promotions as DGPs, sources said.

Former Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Alok Mohan retired from service on May 22, and M.A. Saleem has been made in-charge DG&IGP with concurrent charge as DGP (CID). His appointment as the head of the police force is yet to be confirmed by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC), and is expected to come by in a few weeks. Meanwhile, Malini Krishnamoorthy, presently DGP (Prisons and Correctional Services), will retire on July 31.

Going by seniority, Mr. Kumar and Mr. Dayananda would have been promoted as DGPs. However, both of them are facing legal hurdles.

Mr. Kumar is facing allegations of illegal phone tapping when he was the Bengaluru Police Commissioner in 2019. A departmental inquiry against him in connection with the case has been initiated. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has stayed further proceedings, and the case that came up for hearing on July 1 was adjourned till July 8. However, charges have already been framed against him, and the inquiry has not been quashed. Unless he gets relief from CAT, his promotion is unlikely to happen immediately, sources said. However, the State government may also choose to wait to promote officials as DGPs till the final outcome of his petition in CAT, sources added.

Mr. Dayananda was suspended on June 5 along with four other officers following the stampede at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here that claimed 11 lives when he was the city Police Commissioner. A magisterial inquiry and judicial commission inquiry are ongoing, and the Home Department is all set to initiate a departmental inquiry against these officers. Though CAT quashed the suspension order of one of the IPS officers and said it expected the same benefit to be given to other suspended officers, it is unlikely to clear the path for Mr. Dayananda’s promotion, sources said.

The officer next on the seniority list, Mr. Paul, should have been promoted as DGP, but has bigger legal challenges. Arrested by the CID in July 2022 in the police sub-inspector recruitment scam, he has been chargesheeted, facing criminal prosecution, and suspended pending a departmental inquiry, ruling him out for any promotion.

This comes even as one of the six DGPs, K. Ramachandra Rao, has been sent on compulsory leave and a departmental inquiry initiated against him over allegations of misuse of his escort services by his stepdaughter Ranya Rao to smuggle gold out of Kempegowda International Airport. She was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) while allegedly trying to smuggle 14.2 kg of gold out of the airport on March 3, escorted by two police constables.