Decode Politics: Come Mahayuti, come Rashmi Shukla, the DGP at the heart of Maharashtra twists and turns

Why was Shukla set on compulsory leave?

In a November 4 order, the EC ordered the transfer of Shukla, though it did not provide any specific reasons. This followed multiple complaints by leaders from the Opposition MVA’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress claiming she had “doubtful integrity” and was biased towards the BJP, and that with her heading the force, the elections would not be carried out in a free and fair manner.

After the EC asked her to be transferred, she was sent on compulsory leave and IPS officer Sanjay Kumar Verma was made the DGP. With the Assembly elections completed, the government has now reinstated her.

Why is it viewed as a political move in some quarters?

Shukla, who enjoys a close rapport with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, has been eyed with suspicion by the Opposition. After she was sent on compulsory leave, it was largely believed that she would be back as the DGP only if the Fadnavis-led BJP fared well in the polls and formed the government. With the BJP performing exceptionally well and Fadnavis tipped to be the next CM, many saw Shukla’s reinstatement as a foregone conclusion.

How has the Congress reacted?

Soon after she was brought back, the Congress cried foul claiming that the EC order had sought Shukla’s permanent removal as the DGP.

Shukla, who was due to retire in June, was given a two-year tenure as the DGP in January this year. But the Congress has demanded that Shukla be asked to retire. “Given that the service extension was specifically granted for the role of DGP and was not applicable to any other role, it logically follows that upon vacating the DGP position, the officer’s service automatically terminates. Therefore, any reassignment or appointment to another position would be legally impermissible,” Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole had written to the EC after it ordered her transfer.

Further, Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe alleged Shukla met Fadnavis at his official residence on November 23, during the counting of votes for the Assembly elections, while the Model Code of Conduct was still in effect.

What is behind Shukla’s fraught relationship with the Opposition?

The Opposition alleges that Shukla, as head of the State Intelligence Department (SID), had tapped calls of Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and Nana Patole, while the Fadnavis-led BJP was in power in the state till 2019.

After the MVA came to power in 2019, it viewed Shukla as being close to the BJP government and transferred her to Civil Defence, which is seen as a non-executive posting, in 2020. In February 2021, Shukla was sent on central deputation as the Additional Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and then as the head of the Sashastra Seema Bal.

Following her departure from Maharashtra, two FIRs – one each in Pune and Mumbai – were registered against her in February and March 2022 for allegedly tapping the phones of Opposition leaders and leaking information to the then Leader of the Opposition Fadnavis.

After the FIRs were registered in the phone tapping case and a Mumbai Police team recorded Shukla’s statement in Hyderabad in connection with the case, she moved court. The police then registered another FIR in which Shukla was not named as an accused.

After the Shiv Sena-BJP government led by Eknath Shinde came to power in June 2022, the third case was transferred to the CBI. In September 2023, the Bombay High Court quashed two of the three FIRs registered against her. Later, the third case too was closed after the court accepted the CBI’s closure report, paving the way for her return to the state.