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Extension to DGP, Mumbai police chief quashed

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has quashed the three-month extension granted to Mumbai Police Commissioner D.N. Jadhav and Maharashtra Director-General of Police P.S. Pasricha.

Dr. Pasricha, a 1970 batch IPS officer, and Mr. Jadhav from the 1973 batch were due to retire on November 30, 2007. After extension, their tenure was to expire on February 29, 2008.

However, the court has stayed the order for three weeks, allowing time for appeal and for the State to find new incumbents, according to Y.P. Singh, counsel for the petitioners.

Chief Justice Swatanter Kher and Justice J.P. Devadhar said onFriday that the Centre’s November 30, 2007 orders granting these senior officers extension, was not “reasoned, rational and are also not in the larger public interest.” The government’s action suffered from arbitrariness. Its orders did not satisfy the basic ingredients of the relevant provisions and instructions issued by the government itself for grant of extension to members of the all-India service. No case of larger public interest in preference to service interest was made out.

Its order came in response to a PIL petition filed by R.R. Tripathi and Gaurang Dinesh Damani on December 3, 2007. They said Dr. Pasricha was granted an extension because he was handling tercentenary celebrations of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib. He was president of a committee chaired by the Union Home Minister for the commemoration of the tercentenary of Guru ta-Gaddi.

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Extension to DGP, Mumbai police chief quashed

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