DGP kept beyond tenure to 'shield illegal work' in Jharkhand alleges BJP

Ranchi, May 21 (PTI) The BJP on Wednesday upped its ante against Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta, alleging that his continuation in the post was unconstitutional and was to "shield illegal work" in the state.
    Gupta, a 1990-batch officer, was due to retire on April 30, 2025 but has been holding the charge.
    "Keeping a DGP in his post, even after his retirement was due on April 30, is illegal and unconstitutional. It is part of a conspiracy. Constitutionally, Jharkhand has been without a DGP for the last 21 days," BJP state president and former chief minister Babulal Marandi told reporters here.
    Marandi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, has been attacking the DGP and the state government for his continuation on duty beyond April 30.
    "There is a limit to shamelessness, but the @HemantSorenJMM government has crossed it. Jharkhand has become the first state in the country where the post of DGP is vacant, and the person who is working as 'DGP' is serving without salary!
    "Wow Chief Minister, this is the creation of a new India - Administration without salary, without constitutional validity, only on the basis of corruption!," the BJP leader said in a recent social media post.
    It appears that the state government has not only "ignored Article 312 of the Constitution, which empowers UPSC, but has also thrown into the dustbin the directions of the Supreme Court", Marandi alleged.
    Calls and messages to the DGP for his comment on the allegations remained unanswered.
    The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) office has received "no intimation regarding continuation or retirement of the DGP either from the state or Centre", and issued "no salary or pension to him so far", an official said.
    He said that as per provisions, the state government gives the salary of IPS officers posted in the state, and the office of the CAG issues pay slips.
    Gupta was first given the additional charge of Director General of Police (DGP) of Jharkhand in July last year, replacing Ajay Kumar Singh who belonged to the 1989 batch.
    Singh's appointment in 2023 had ended the row over the selection of the state's DGP.
    The Supreme Court had, in January 2023, disposed of a contempt petition against the Jharkhand government and former police chief Neeraj Sinha.
    The petitioner had alleged that Sinha had been occupying the post of DGP even after his superannuation on January 31, 2022.
    Soon after Gupta's appointment in July last year, a rift surfaced in the JMM-led ruling alliance with the Congress saying that alliance partners were not taken in confidence while making "such a major decision".
    Gupta was removed from the post of Jharkhand DGP due to his "history of election-related misconduct" in previous polls by the Election Commission ahead of the assembly polls.
    However, he was given the additional charge of DGP by the JMM-led government on November 29 last year, hours after Hemant Soren took oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand.
    On February 3, he was appointed Jharkhand Director General of Police.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)