Who is Rashmi Shukla, the IPS officer appointed Maharashtra DGP

Shukla has also served as the Pune police commissioner where she was known for starting initiatives like ‘buddy cop’ which was replicated across the state.

Why did Rashmi Shukla fall out of favour with the MVA government?

After the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government came to power in the state in 2019, they allegedly viewed her as being close to the BJP government and transferred her from her post as State Intelligence Commissioner (SID) to Civil Defence, seen as a non-executive one, in 2020. In February 2021, Shukla went on central deputation as ADG Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She was eventually made the SSB head.

Under the MVA government, three FIRs were registered alleging calls of MVA leaders were intercepted illegally and data from the State Intelligence Department (SID), which Shukla had headed, was leaked to the Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis. Of the three cases, in two, Shukla was named as the accused.

What happened to those cases?

Last month, the Bombay High Court quashed two of the three FIRs – in Pune and Mumbai – registered against her. After the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government came to power in Maharashtra, the third case was transferred to the CBI. Later this case was closed after the court allowed the CBI’s closure report paving the way for her return to the state.

How long will her tenure be as DGP?

Shukla retires in June 2024, so her tenure will be six months. However, the Maharashtra government can give her extensions as they have in the past in the case of other DGPs.

While the Prakash Singh judgment of the Supreme Court seeks a two-year tenure for DGPs so that they are not susceptible to political pressures, an officer said the Maharashtra Police Act provides for a two-year tenure only if the officer is not retiring.