T'gana HC okays DGP appointment

In a relief to Telangana’s Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy, the Telangana High Court on Friday dismissed a writ petition challenging his appointment as the head of the state police force.

Justice Pulla Karthik, who heard the matter on Thursday, pronounced the order on Friday.

The court directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to complete the process of appointment of the DGP in four weeks.

The state government has been directed to file a counter-affidavit by February 5 on the process for the appointment of the DGP.

Social activist T. Dhangopal Rao had filed the petition challenging the appointment of Shivadhar Reddy as the DGP, contending that the appointment violates Supreme Court directions.

The petitioner had sought suspension of the appointment and a direction to appoint a regular DGP in line with the guidelines.

Following the superannuation of DGP Jitender, the state government on September 26 last year appointed the 1994-batch IPS officer as DGP, Coordination, and gave him full additional charge as DGP-Head of Police Force (HoPF).

The petitioner argued that the Government Order appointing Shivadhar Reddy as HoPF violated the Supreme Court’s ruling in Prakash Singh vs Union of India, which does not permit the appointment of an "acting" or "additional charge" DGP.

Advocate General A. Sudershan Reddy told the Court that the state government had been sending proposals since April 2025 and that the UPSC had sought clarifications. In compliance with the court’s December 24 order, the government submitted the list of the panel of eligible officers to the UPSC on December 31.

However, the UPSC responded on January 1, stating that the panel was not in conformity with the Supreme Court’s directions in the Prakash Singh case and advised the state to seek clarification from the apex court. The Advocate General contended that the UPSC should not have returned the proposal.

The UPSC informed the court that the state government has to send the list of senior IPS officers eligible for appointment as DGP three months before the retirement of the incumbent. The court was told that the state government has not sent a list since 2017.