Bengaluru: Will Karnataka get its first woman police chief finally? The incumbent Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Rupak Kumar Dutta will demit office on October 31 on superannuation.
His successor could be DGP (Internal Security), Neelamani N. Raju the senior most Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in State of 1983 batch, considering the fact that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has consistently considered seniority as an important criterion in the selection of the Head of Police Force.
Besides Ms Raju, the other two top contenders for the police chief’s post include DGP, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) H.C. Kishore Chandra - an IPS officer of 1984 batch and his batch mate and DGP, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), M.N. Reddi.
There are some unconfirmed reports that the government may give a three-month extension to Dutta. "The State will have Assembly elections next year. The CM will appoint the officer of his choice. He has given impetus to seniority in the past," said an official source.
The process of appointment of the DG&IGP is however, yet to begin. A high powered selection committee headed by Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy will nominate the names of the three senior most IPS officers and submit the list to the Chief Minister, who will appoint the officer of his choice as his police chief.
The selection committee includes the Law Minister and Chief Secretary as members and Princess Secretary, with Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms as the convener.
