Newsmaker | Who is Rashmi Shukla, and why Opposition wanted her out as Maharashtra DGP

A 1988-batch IPS officer, Shukla has over the past five years seen more twists and turns than most officers do in their entire career. Seen as Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s blue-eyed officer, she served as the commissioner of the State Intelligence Department (SID), a post seen as reserved for officers considered close to those in power.

After coming to power in 2019, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) sidelined several officials perceived as close to the previous Fadnavis-led administration, including Shukla. During the shuffle, Shukla was also shifted from the SID to Civil Defence, which is seen as a non-executive posting. Several officers, including Shukla, also found central deputation during this time. She was posted as 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 such as Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, the NCP’s Eknath Khadse, and state Congress chief Nana Patole during the Fadnavis government’s tenure. Patole wrote to the EC on October 31 citing the case and said the government “illegally granted” Shukla a term extension in violation of the Maharashtra Police Act. The DGP was due to retire on June 30.

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 Eknath Shinde government came to power in June 2022, the third case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (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.

Since the MVA government was dislodged from power, there was speculation that the officers who suffered due to their proximity to Fadnavis would be brought back and “adequately compensated”. Though Shukla was reportedly keen on the Mumbai commissioner’s post — the most sought-after post in the state — the government wanted her to take over as the state police chief. After long deliberations, which included BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar congratulating her in October 2023 for becoming the DGP, the state government officially appointed her as the state’s top cop this January.

The Opposition targeted the government over Shukla’s appointment and urged Shinde to cancel it. NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) spokesperson Vidya Chavan termed Shukla’s appointment violative of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) norms. “IPS officers who have over six months of service left are considered for the DGP’s post. However, Shukla will retire in five months and her appointment is bad by law,” Chavan said.

Reacting to the appointment, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said at the time, “We will see how her remaining tenure proceeds. I think it is about six months. The only precaution we will have to take now is to ensure that our phones don’t get tapped.” The Opposition had also alleged that the ruling alliance appointed Shukla with an eye on the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.