T.K. Rajendran, a 1984-batch IPS officer, is likely to be appointed as the Director General of Police and head of the force in Tamil Nadu. Though a formal announcement is expected on Friday, police sources said that a decision was taken at a late night meeting at the residence of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on the promotion and posting of IPS officers.
Mr. Rajendran, currently DGP (Intelligence) and holding additional charge as DGP (Law and Order), who is due to retire from service on Friday, will get a two-year tenure in office as per the Supreme Court guidelines in the Prakash Singh case. He is also Chairman, Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (USRB).
The Tamil Nadu Police Act also prescribes that an officer appointed as head of the Force “shall hold the post for a minimum period of two years, irrespective of the date of his/her superannuation.”
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The meeting to decide on the new DGP was convened after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) approved a panel of senior IPS officers in the State for appointment to the top post. The other officers whose names were approved by the UPSC included Archana Ramasundaram, K. Radhakrishnan and K.P Maghendran, the sources said.
Tamil Nadu has a precedent of appointing senior IPS officers as DGP/Head of the Force days ahead of their retirement from service. Former DGPs K. Ramanujam and Ashok Kumar were both elevated to the top post when they had less than two years of service.
“The sequence of events, the hurried manner in which the panel of names was sent and how the approval was obtained indicate that Mr. Rajendran is the clear choice. However, the confirmation will come only when the government issues an order before noon on Friday. Ms. Ramasundaram, a 1980 batch IPS officer, is the senior-most of all. The chances of other DGPs being appointed to the top post cannot be ruled out at this stage,” a senior State official said.
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More promotions
The State Government is likely to issue promotion and posting to various batches of IPS officers on Friday. This comes in the backdrop of a representation made to Mr. Palaniswami by the Tamil Nadu IPS Officers’ Association. Police sources said that a delegation led by the association president Mr. Maghendran submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister on Wednesday requesting him to issue orders of promotions and postings to various batches that were due for the same.
“They made a specific request that the orders be issued enabling the officers to take charge of the new posts on or before June 30 so that they would become eligible for one increment under the 7th Pay Commission, which would mean a substantial hike in salary,” the sources added.