Incumbent state police chief Gaurav Yadav may become the regular Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) as his name has been shortlisted by an empanelment committee of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The committee, which met in Delhi on Tuesday, selected Yadav along with two other IPS officers - Special DGP Sharad Satya Chauhan and senior IPS officer Harpreet Singh Sidhu. The Punjab government will now choose one of the three officers for the post of regular DGP.
Sources indicate that the AAP government is likely to pick Yadav, who is currently serving as the acting DGP (head of the state police force). A 1992-batch officer, Yadav has been holding the position since July 2022, when he was appointed as officiating DGP after the state police head V K Bhawra was sent on leave. The UPSC had earlier reminded the Punjab government to send a panel of senior IPS officers for the selection of a regular DGP.
The state government had initially been reluctant to send the panel, despite a Supreme Court ruling in February that pulled up some states, including Punjab, for having acting DGPs. The Punjab government had also passed the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill in 2023, which empowers the state to appoint the DGP through a separate state-level committee, but the bill is yet to be given assent by the president. The selection of a regular DGP is now expected to move forward, with the Punjab government set to choose one of the three shortlisted officers.
According to the process, the UPSC empanelment committee sends back a panel of three officers for shortlisting one among them as the state police chief. The AAP government had earlier sent a panel of 14 senior IPS officers to the UPSC for shortlisting three candidates for the post of regular DGP. The final decision is now pending with the state government.
