Ranchi, June 16 (PTI) The Jharkhand High Court on Monday directed the union and state governments, besides DGP Anurag Gupta, to file responses to a case relating to his appointment to the post.
The high court was hearing a petition challenging Gupta's appointment, filed by the Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi.
Marandi, in his petition, also challenged the legality of the Appointment of DGP Rules framed by the JMM-led state government by which Gupta’s engagement has been ratified.
The petition claimed that in the new rules, the role of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in recommending candidates for appointment in DGP’s post in the state has been nullified.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao was informed that earlier, the appointment of a DGP in a state was made through a panel of senior officials of the UPSC.
The Hemant Soren government has not considered the recommendation of the UPSC panel and has framed its own rules for appointing the DGP, Marandi said in the petition.
Following the new rules, a nomination committee has been formed and it ratified the candidature of Gupta as the DGP.
Gupta was first given additional charge of DGP in July 2024, replacing Ajay Kumar Singh (1989-batch IPS officer).
The appointment caused a rift within the ruling alliance, with the Congress objecting that coalition partners were not consulted on such a major decision.
Gupta was previously removed from the DGP post by the Election Commission ahead of Assembly polls due to his "history of election-related misconduct."
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.
The JMM-led government reappointed him as DGP on February 3, 2025. The 1990-batch IPS officer was due to retire on April 30 but continued to hold charge.
The state BJP has upped its ante against Gupta, alleging that his continuation in the post was unconstitutional and was intended to "indulge in crime and shield illegal activities" in the state.
The opposition party also called the situation in Jharkhand "peculiar and alarming."
In a recent social media post, Marandi said, "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 acting as DGP is working without salary!"
He said, "Wow, Chief Minister! This is the creation of a new India — an administration without salary, without constitutional validity, driven only by corruption!"
Marandi also launched a scathing attack on the Hemant Soren-led government, accusing it of systematically crippling key constitutional and quasi-judicial institutions that are mandated to ensure transparency, accountability, and justice for the public.
The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a contempt petition in January 2023 against the state government and former DGP Neeraj Sinha, who allegedly remained in office even after superannuation in January 2022.