The Odisha government has revoked the authority of the Director General of Police (DGP) to transfer officers of the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) rank.
The power to appoint and transfer officers in Odisha is now entrusted to a committee led by the state home secretary.
Arpit Pattnaik
The state government recently removed the authority of the director general of police (DGP) to transfer police officers at the rank of deputy superintendents of police and equivalent ranks. This power was given to a committee led by the state home secretary instead.
According to the new notification from the Home department, transfers and placements of officers at the rank of DSPs/assistant commandant (AC) and ASP/deputy commandant (DC) will be managed by a committee chaired by the home secretary, with the DGP as a member. Other members of the committee will include the special secretary, additional secretary, or joint secretary of the Home department.
The committee will also serve as an appeals forum for addressing representations from officers regarding their transfers and postings.
This change has raised concerns about the independence of the state police chief. Former DGPs have emphasized that the DGP's role would become merely titular without the authority to independently transfer officers at the rank of deputy SP and above. They believe that such a change could demoralize the force and diminish the DGP's authority.
Former DGPs and others have expressed concerns regarding the committee's ability to make informed decisions about the transfer and placement of police officers. They believe that this shift in authority may end up giving more power to IAS officers and could have significant implications for the autonomy of the state police chief.
