Promotion of IGs, DIGs, SSPs: DPC deferred

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Mar 5: Middle and top ranking IPS officers, eligible for rank promotion from January 1^st, will have to wait for a couple of weeks more as the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of the state Home Department has been deferred due to an investiture ceremony at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday.

Informed sources told Early Times that the proposal of the rank promotion of several middle and top rung Police officers, that had been since forwarded by Police Headquarters to the government, would remain untouched for a couple of weeks more. DPC, comprising Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, Principal Secretary Home B R Sharma and Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, was scheduled to meet tomorrow and clear the rank promotion of over a dozen IPS officers. However, it was deferred today as a major investiture ceremony to give away honours to nearly 550 Police officers, is taking place at Raj Bhawan tomorrow.

Government has announced medals and awards in favour of over 550 Police officials for their gallantry and meritorious service since 2002 when the last Investiture Ceremony happened at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar. Since no investiture ceremony took place in the last ten years, these awards could not be handed over to the recipients.

Governor gives away the awards. Chief Minister, Ministers, legislators, senior government officials and mediapersons attend the investiture ceremony in large numbers.

Principal Secretary Home, Mr B R Sharma, confirmed to this newspaper that the DPC meeting had been canceled due to the scheduled Investiture Ceremony as both stood fixed in the afternoon on Tuesday. He said that the DPC would now seek a fresh date from Chief Secretary and meet accordingly.

Completing 25 years of service in IPS on different dates in 2012, six senior officers of Jammu & Kashmir cadre, currently holding the rank of IG, have become eligible for promotion to the rank of ADG on January 1^st. They include V K Singh, who has been on Central deputation since June 2007 and is currently posted in RAW at Singapore. Others in the group include IG Kashmir, S M Sahai, IG Jammu, Dilbagh Singh, and IG Personnel & Training at Police Headquarters, Sheikh Owais Ahmad.

IG Crime, Raja Aijaz Ali, and Director Sher-e-Kashmir Police Training Academy Udhampur, Ashok Gupta, had also become eligible for rank promotion on 01-01-2012 but both of them have reached superannuation on February 29^th last. DPC would now consider only Sahai, Dilbagh and Owais. VK Singh, who is likely to seek extension of his Central deputation by two years beyond June 2012, would be getting the benefit on pro forma basis.

Even as all the five substantive posts of ADG stand filled up, government has powers to create ex cadre posts equivalent to the number of substantive posts as a special arrangement. APRs of the incumbent officers for the previous five years, which should be ‘Outstanding/Excellent’ for 2 years and ‘Very Good’ for 3 years, as also clearance from State Vigilance Organisation, determine all these time-bound rank promotions in IPS, IAS and IFS.

As against the sanctioned strength of two posts of DG, J&K has currently only one in Mr Kuldeep Khoda who is due to reach superannuation on May 31^st. In addition to three IPS officers (proforma/ ex cadre), namely Commissioner Vigilance P L Gupta (1984), S K Mishra (1985) and Gopal Reddy (1985), five IPS officers of J&K cadre are currently functioning on substantive posts of ADG. They include ADG Armed/ Law & Order K Rajendra Kumar (1984), ADG Security Ram Lubhaya (1985), ADG Headquarters Dr Shesh Pal Vaid (1986), ADG Home Guard & Civil Defence D R Doley (1986) and ADG Prisons Navin Agarwal (1986).

None of the eight ADGs will be having the qualifying service of 30 years for elevation to the rank of DGP on Mr Khoda’s superannuation on May 31^st this year. Senior most, K Ranjendra Kumar, would attain it on 01-01-2014 and the runner-up P L Gupta on 01-01-2015. Ram Lubhaya would retire in just the 28^th year of his IPS on March 31, 2013.

Minimum of six vacancies of IGs would become available with the rank promotion of Sahai, Dilbagh and Owais and the retirement of equal number of IGs, reaching superannuation before becoming eligible for promotion to the rank of ADG. While as Managing Director of J&K Police Housing Corporation, Mohammad Amin Shah, has retired from service on February 29^th, IG Railway, Zahoor Ahmad Chisti and IG Armed/IR Jammu, Gulzar Singh Salathia, will be reaching superannuation on 31-05-2012 and 30-09-2012 respectively.

Among the total of 37 DIGs, eleven IPS officers of 1994 have become eligible for promotion to the rank of IG on January 1^st. Only one of them, namely Javed Mujtaba Gilani, is currently on Central deputation. He too is returning to the state after completion of seven years of deputation with CBI later this month.

Others, who have attained eligibility for promotion to IG by reaching 18^th year of service in 2012, include DIG Kashmir (Central Kashmir and Ladakh) Abdul Gani Mir, DIG Vigilance Mohammad Sulaiman Salaria, DIG CID Jammu, Sunil Kumar Sharma, DIG Jammu-Kathua range, Farooq Khan, DIG IR Jammu, Kamal Kumar Saini, DIG Security , P R Manhas, DIG Crime Yoginder Kaul, DIG Administration Alok Puri and DIG North Kashmir, Munir Khan.

According to sources Messers Javed Gilani, AG Mir, Sulaiman Salaria, Sunil Sharma, Farooq Khan and Dr Kamal Saini have bright chances of the rank promotion as a minimum of six posts of IG would be available soon.

Seven SSPs, who have 1998 as their year of IPS allotment and have entered 14^th year in IPS, have also become eligible for promotion to the rank of DIG on January 1^st. They include RP Resutra (SSP CID SB Jammu), Parminder Singh (SSP SSG), Dr Showkat Ahmad Malik (SSP CID SB Kashmir) Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba (SSP Vigilance), Abdul Hamid (CO IR-1st Bn) Mushtaq Mohammad Sadiq (Principal PTC Manigam) and Shakeel Ahmed Beigh (SSP Udhampur).

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