SC puts Odisha DGP selection on hold till Aug 18, UPSC asked to defer final call

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 13, 2026

In a significant intervention with potential implications for the appointment of Odisha's next Director General of Police (DGP), the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to put on hold the finalisation of the selection process until August 18, after a plea alleged that the procedure adopted by the state did not conform to the police reform framework laid down by the apex court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant passed the direction after senior advocate P Chidambaram mentioned a Public Interest Litigation challenging the process for selecting the Odisha DGP. The petition contends that the procedure being followed by the state is contrary to the guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court in its landmark Prakash Singh judgment on police reforms.

Chidambaram told the bench that the UPSC was scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise the panel for appointment of the next Odisha DGP. Seeking urgent intervention, he submitted that although the petition was listed for hearing, it was unlikely to be taken up during the scheduled proceedings.

The senior counsel further alleged that an officer was promoted on Wednesday in a move that could potentially pave the way for the officer's inclusion in the panel under consideration by the UPSC.

Appearing for the Odisha government, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya denied any violation of the prescribed norms and questioned the maintainability of the PIL. He argued that the dispute essentially concerned a service matter and, therefore, could not be pursued through a Public Interest Litigation.

The bench too raised questions over the maintainability of the plea, with CJI Surya Kant observing that none of the officers allegedly affected by the selection process had approached the court.

The Supreme Court thereafter sought the views of senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in the Prakash Singh case. Ramachandran supported the petitioner's contention and submitted that the process for selecting Odisha's DGP was being conducted in breach of the guidelines issued by the apex court.

Taking note of the amicus curiae's submissions, the bench directed the UPSC counsel to defer the scheduled meeting for finalising the selection of the Odisha DGP.

The order effectively puts the appointment process on pause for the moment, with the Supreme Court now set to revisit the issue on August 18 amid competing claims over adherence to the court-mandated framework governing the selection of police chiefs.