Rashmi Shukla transferred, no clear answers on next Maharashtra DGP
Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, a 1989-batch IPS officer, will temporarily take over the Maharashtra Director General of Police charge
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Election Commission (EC) transferring Maharashtra Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla. (FB)With the Election Commission (EC) transferring Maharashtra Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla on Monday ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, there are several unanswered questions on who will occupy the police chief seat next.
With the EC asking that the seniormost officer take charge of the state DGP post, the charge temporarily will go to 1989-batch IPS officer Vivek Phansalkar, the Mumbai Police Commissioner.
The EC has also asked the government to send a panel of three eligible officers by Tuesday from whom a DGP will be appointed. While Phansalkar, who retires in April 2025, is the senior-most officer, he is followed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Sadanand Date, a 1990-batch officer who retires in December 2026. He is followed by his batchmate Bipin Kumar Singh, who retires in October next year, and Sanjay Kumar Verma, who retires in April 2028.
In some cases, the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, a post currently held by 1992-batch IPS officer Sanjeev Singhal, is also considered.
However, there is no clarity on whether Shukla’s appointment has been set aside for just the election period or whether the transfer is permanent. It also remains to be seen if the new DGP will also be given a two-year tenure like Shukla following the Supreme Court judgment in the Prakash Singh case that recommended a two-year fixed tenure for DGPs to insulate them from political interference.
Shukla was due to retire in June 2024 but continued to serve as her appointment as DGP meant she would be in charge till January 2026. “Since that protection is off, it remains to be seen if she will have to retire. If not, she may be kept waiting for a month and may take charge as DGP again,” an officer said.
“So far there is no clarity on the way forward. While the EC’s order is concerned with the election period, the government will have to decide what happens later. The new government may end up taking decisions on the way forward,” a government official said.
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