The Supreme Court on Monday challenged the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to appoint G. Venkatraman as acting Director General of Police (DGP) on August 31, directing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to urgently recommend candidates for a permanent appointment.

The bench, led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai alongside Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Atul S. Chandurkar, questioned, “Why do you have an acting DGP?” during a hearing on a contempt petition filed by lawyer Henri Tiphagne. Tiphagne’s petition argues that Tamil Nadu’s ad hoc appointment violates the 2018 Supreme Court ruling in the Prakash Singh case, which mandates states to submit a list of eligible DGP-rank officers to the UPSC three months before the incumbent’s retirement.

Tamil Nadu failed to send the list by May 2025, prior to DGP Shankar Jiwal’s retirement on August 31. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the state, cited a delay due to an officer’s challenge at the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) for inclusion in the panel. The court ordered the UPSC to expedite the selection process and directed Tamil Nadu to appoint a regular DGP promptly upon receiving UPSC’s recommendations.

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The state informed the court that a list of eight DGP-rank officers has been sent to the UPSC, with senior officers like Seema Agrawal and Rajeev Kumar in contention. This ruling underscores ongoing concerns about states bypassing merit-based, transparent DGP appointments.

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