The appointment of Odisha’s next Director General of Police (DGP) has been put on hold after the Supreme Court on Thursday recorded an assurance from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that its meeting to finalise a panel of candidates would not be held before August 18. The development has prolonged uncertainty over who will succeed incumbent police chief YB Khurania, whose retirement from government service is due to take effect on August 16. The court is scheduled to consider on August 18 a petition challenging the state’s process for selecting the next DGP.

The UPSC had been scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise a panel of three eligible officers. Under the selection process, the Odisha government would choose the next police chief from the panel recommended by the central commission. However, the Supreme Court’s intervention has temporarily prevented the meeting from taking place, leaving the state without a finalised shortlist as the incumbent DGP’s retirement approaches.

The legal challenge was filed through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which alleges that the procedure being followed by the Odisha government does not comply with a landmark Supreme Court ruling governing the appointment of police chiefs. The petition has brought scrutiny to the process through which the state has been preparing and forwarding names to the UPSC. The court will examine the challenge when the matter comes up for consideration on August 18.

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The state government has already made several attempts to prepare a panel for consideration by the UPSC. Official sources said an initial panel was sent to the commission in April but was subsequently withdrawn. In May, the Odisha government forwarded another panel comprising three officers of Director General rank and eight officers of Additional Director General rank.

The selection process encountered another change ahead of a UPSC meeting that had been scheduled for August 7. The Odisha government withdrew the list it had previously submitted and informed the commission that it would prepare a fresh panel. The latest delay means the UPSC will not consider the names until at least August 18, when the Supreme Court is expected to hear the challenge to the selection process.

With YB Khurania, a 1990-batch officer, set to retire on August 16, the timing of the court proceedings has added to the uncertainty surrounding the state police leadership. The next steps will depend on the Supreme Court’s consideration of the petition and any directions issued by the court. Until then, the process of finalising Odisha’s next DGP remains unresolved, with the UPSC selection meeting effectively paused.

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