Punjab Assembly passes Bill to appoint DGP

Chandigarh, June 20 (IANS) The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed the Punjab Police Amendment Bill, 2023, paving the way for the state to appoint a Director General of Police (DGP).

With this amendment, the government has decided to put in place a parallel mechanism to circumvent the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) procedure.

As per the procedure, with the vacancy of the DGP, the state will send the names to the UPSC which would in turn appoint a three-member panel to pick the candidate for the top job.

The Bill was passed without any opposition in the House. The main opposition Congress had walked out earlier in the day and the BJP had boycotted the two-day special Assembly session.

The Bill will become law only after the Governor's assent.

The amendment states that the committee shall prepare a panel of three senior officers from the pool of eligible names based on the selection criteria, which would include length of service, work record and range of experience.

"Selection will be made on merit from a pool of eligible officers as per zone of consideration," the Bill states, adding that the DGP appointed following the amendment will have a minimum tenure of three years.

In case of vacancy for the post of DGP, the state government may give additional charge to any officer of an equivalent rank.

"The provisions of this section (Section 6) shall prevail notwithstanding anything contained in any judgement, order or decree of any court," the Bill adds.