Haryana recommends 7 IPS officers for central deputation

The state government recently communicated to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for consideration of these names to fill up the vacant posts on central deputation. The Vigilance Bureau has also informed the state police that no inquiry is pending against five more IPS officers —Alok Kumar Roy, SK Jain, Dr CS Rao, Charu Bali and Maneesh Chaudhary. Roy and Jain are 1991-batch IPS officers while Rao and Bali belong to the 1995 batch. Maneesh Chaudhary is a 2005-batch officer of Haryana cadre.

Five IPS officers from Haryana cadre are already on central deputation. They include former state police chief and 1988-batch IPS officer Manoj Yadava who is currently Director General, National Human Rights Commission. Among other IPS officers, Sibash Kabiraj is looking after the responsibility of Regional Passport Officer (RPO) in the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). KV Ramana (RAW), Ashwin (CBI) and Manisha Chaudhary (Chandigarh SSP) are also on central deputation. A state police services (HPS) officer Simardeep Singh is a group commander of Special Protection Group (SPG).

Meanwhile, the Haryana Police is looking for promotion of its four IPS officers to the rank of IGP and DIG and granting selection grade to the officers from 2005, 2009 and 2010 batches.

According to the officials, currently, only two IPS officers are holding selection grade against the availability of 12 posts. The officials also said that IPS officers — Sulochana Gajraj, Sangeeta Kalia, Rajesh Duggal and Surender Pal Singh — have become eligible for grant of selection grade with effect from January 1 this year.

An IPS officer should have completed 14 years of service for promotion from the rank of SP to DIG. State police officials say currently as many as 13 officers are posted on DIG rank posts against the availability of 15 cadre posts of DIG while two posts are lying vacant. According to officials, IPS officers Abhishek Garg (2008 batch) and Rahul Sharma (2009 batch) have become eligible for promotion as DIG with effect from January 1 this year.

Abhishek Garg is on extra-ordinary leave with effect from July 1, 2020 to June 31, 2021 and has further requested for extension of leave up to June 30, 2023, which is under consideration of the state government.

Referring to the guidelines, the officials also say that an officer should have rendered 18 years of service in IPS and also should have undergone phase-IV Mid Career Training Programme. With these parameters, the officials say, two IPS officers of 2005 batch—Maneesh Chaudhary and Kulvinder Singh have become eligible for promotion from DIG rank to IGP with effect from January 1 this year. According to the officials, as many as 12 IPS officers are currently posted as IGP against16 cadre posts for this rank while four posts are currently lying vacant. An IGP level officer is currently under suspension in Haryana.

Sources say no promotion of IPS officers has taken place in Haryana since May 2022 when four IGP rank officers were posted as ADGP rank. After these promotions, questions were raised alleging the same were done despite the “non-availability of vacancies”. Amid controversy, sources say, these four ADGP rank officers (1996 batch) are still drawing salaries of pay scale level 14 which is meant for IGP rank officers.

In fact, as many as 14 posts of ADGP rank were available in Haryana in May, 2022. But with the promotion of four more IPS officers, the number of police officers occupying the post of ADGP had gone to 17.

As many as six of them are cadre posts, while 11 are ex-cadre posts. Ex-cadre posts are temporary posts of the same rank as a cadre post and created by the state government. Sources say the government has plans to convert three ex-cadre posts of DGP into ADGP to meet the shortfall in ADGP rank.

Questions were also raised over the promotion of six IPS officers of 1994-batch from IGP to ADGP rank in 2018 as a few months later, an IPS officer sought cancellation of the order alleging gross violation of guidelines issued by the MHA. He had alleged that the six IPS officers were promoted to the grade of ADGP with effect August 29, 2018 while their promotions were due with effect from January 1, 2019. With top officials of the Haryana government examining whether to reopen the file pertaining to alleged “premature” promotion of these six IPS officers, state home minister Anil Vij wants additional chief secretary (home) TVSN Prasad to examine the issue.