NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Sikkim government on a plea challenging the appointment of Sudhakar Rao as the state’s Director General of Police (DGP).
The Supreme Court has also sought response from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on the matter.
The plea was heard by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising chief justice NV Ramana and justices JK Maheshwari and Hima Kohli.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed through advocate Satish Kumar.
In the PIL, it was claimed that appointment of IPS officer Sudhakar Rao as the Sikkim DGP was in violation of the Supreme Court decision in Prakash Singh vs Union of India case.
Rao was found guilty by a departmental enquiry headed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of bribery, the plea stated.
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The plea submitted that in the departmental inquiry, Rao was found guilty, and the matter was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs for taking action, and the decision of MHA/UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) regarding punishment is awaited.
The plea further alleged that irrespective of the order of the Supreme Court, the State Government did not send the proposals in anticipation of the vacancies to the Union Public Service Commission, well in time at least three months before the date of retirement of the incumbent on the post of DGP.
“Appointing such an officer to the post of DGP is totally against the spirit of the orders passed by this Hon’ble Court in the case of Prakash Singh (supra),” the plea added.