On EC direction, Pramod Kumar made interim DGP

The state Home Department issued a notification on Friday stating, “Pramod Kumar, Director General, civil defence, home guards, and former office commandant general, home guards…is given the additional charge of DGP…The order shall be implemented immediately without fail and a report may be sent today (Friday).”

The notification, signed by Joint Secretary Nikhil Bhatt, also stated that “the above orders are issued as per the instruction of the Election Commission of India…”

The EC zeroed in on Kumar for being the senior-most police officer of the state. On Wednesday night, DGP Mohan Jha was ordered to “look after” the duties of police chief till further orders. Besides Pramod Kumar, IPS officer Shivanand Jha was also in the race as the replacement of Johri.

The EC’s decision to give additional charge of the DGP to Kumar is likely to be argued next week in the Gujarat High Court, which is hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking appointment of full-time DGP.

The EC is also a party in the PIL, which says that the state doesn’t have a regular full-time DGP since April 15, 2016, after then police chief P C Thakur was transferred and replaced by P P Pandey as in-charge DGP.

“Appointment of a mere in-charge DGP conveys the wrong message regarding the intention of the state… that the government of the day wants to keep the police force… as a pawn in its hands…,” the PIL claimed.

Johri, a 1982-batch IPS officer, was appointed as in-charge police chief on April 4, after her predecessor DGP Pandey was forced to step down by the Supreme Court for his role in Ishrat Jahan encounter case.