IAS-IPS tussle hots up in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IAS-IPS tussle is hotting up, delaying the posting of three senior police officers. IAS officers are even pressing the government to revert some officers from DGP-rank to ADGP. The posting order of 1986 batch IPS officers A Hemachandran, N Shanker Reddy and Rajesh Dewan were being delayed, owing to stiff resistance from a few IAS officers towards the previous UDF government's decision to promote these officers by creating temporary posts of DGPs.

Mr Hemachandran is now as DGP Intelligence. Though Ms R Sreelekha was posted as ADGP Intelligence, she has not yet taken charge, owing to this stalemate.  Mr Reddy, who was removed from Vigilance director post, is awaiting posting.

The Centre had sanctioned only two DGP cadre posts in Kerala- the state police chief and the vigilance director- and the state can create two ex-cadre posts against these. Hence the maximum strength of DGPs sanctioned by the centre is only four.

It was by exercising powers vested in the state government under section 4(2) of the IPS Cadres Rules that the previous UDF government promoted the four officers of the 1986 batch, including Mr. Mohammed Yasin, to DGP grade for a maximum period of two years.

Once the ministry changed,  top- bureaucrats are pressing the government against these promotions, citing lack of Centre's  concurrence. But the IPS officers point out that the Centre's concurrence is required only for extending the temporary creation of posts beyond two years.

“Usually the temporary DGP posts are created only when the existing officers holding DGP ranks are due to retire within  a year so that those given temporary promotion could fill that vacancy. But among the top four DGP-rank officers, only T P senkumar is retiring in 2017 June and the three other officers - Jacob Thomas, Loknath Behera and Rishi Raj Singh will retire after 2020 only.

“Among the four officers who were given temporary DGP rank, Mr Dewan and Mr Yasin will retire prior to that. In such a circumstance, they are unlikely to get a permanent DGP post unless any of the seniors goes of central deputation or opts for earlier retirement,” said a senior government official.