The Hindu : Front Page : Letika Saran reappointed Director-General of Police

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Sunday, Nov 28, 2010
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Letika Saran reappointed Director-General of Police

T. Ramakrishnan

Appointment takes immediate effect
First appointment through empanelment by UPSC

Letika Saran

CHENNAI: The State government on Saturday reappointed Letika Saran, an officer of Indian Police Service of the 1976 batch, as the Director-General of Police (DGP).

Fifty-eight-year-old Saran, one of the three officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the post, has been made the head of police force in the State. Her appointment will take immediate effect.

According to an official, Ms. Saran is the first person to be appointed DGP in the country through the process of empanelment by the UPSC in the wake of the Prakash Singh's case.

R. Nataraj and K. Vijaykumar were the other two empanelled officers.

Her reappointment comes in the wake of the Madras High Court judgment on October 8, setting aside Ms. Saran's earlier appointment as DGP.

The court had held that the Supreme Court directions in the Prakash Singh's case had not been followed. It had asked the government to forward a panel of names of senior IPS officers to the UPSC, which would send a list of three officers to enable the State government to appoint one person as the DGP. The High Court had also directed the government to complete the DGP appointment on or before December 7.

A couple of weeks later, the Supreme Court declined to pass any interim order on the Madras High Court judgment.

Subsequently, the State government, in compliance with the High Court direction, sent a panel of five names to the UPSC. On November 16, when the matter came up before the Supreme Court, the Commission informed the court that it had recommended a panel to the State government.

Minimum tenure

On the fixation of minimum tenure of two years as fixed by the Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh's case, the official says that as Ms. Saran attains the age of superannuation at the end of March 2012, the question of extending her service would arise only then. However, it is up to the Central authorities to amend the service rules of IPS officers accordingly, adds the official.

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