Supreme Court underscores Tamil Nadu’s due representation on UPSC committee set to recommend regular police chief

Supreme Court affirms Tamil Nadu's right to full representation on UPSC committee for selecting a regular police chief.

The Supreme Court on Thursday underscored that Tamil Nadu must have full and due representation on the empanelment committee of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) set to recommend a regular police chief for the State.

The order by a Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, ensured that States’ representation is not undercut in the selection of their police chiefs tasked with protecting law and order. The committee comprises the UPSC Chairperson or his nominee, the Union Home Secretary or his nominee, the Chief Secretary of the State concerned, the incumbent DGP, and an officer nominated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

In Tamil Nadu’s case, the last regular DGP, Shankar Jiwal, had retired on August 31 last year. The State had appointed G. Venkataraman as the DGP in-charge. However, Mr.  Venkataraman is also one of the candidates in the running for the post. Tamil Nadu had written to the UPSC to allow the Additional Chief Secretary to come in place of the DGP on the empanelment committee, as Mr. Venkataraman could not sit on a selection panel when he himself was a candidate in the reckoning.

The UPSC rejected the State’s request and convened a meeting in September last year, in which Mr. Venkataraman did not participate on the principle that “no one can be a judge of his own cause”, though the Chief Secretary did attend.

In its application before the Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu, represented by senior advocate P. Wilson and advocate Sabarish Subramanium, contested the UPSC’s stand.

Mr. Wilson argued that the UPSC’s refusal to accommodate the alternative choice of Additional Chief Secretary had deprived Tamil Nadu of its rightful number of representatives on the committee.