Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 6: The Screening Committee today cleared promotion of two Additional Director Generals of Police (ADGPs) as DGs, two IGPs as Additional DGPs and one SSP as DIG but deferred the matter for few days on promotions of DIGs as IGPs due to certain reasons. The proposal would now go to Governor NN Vohra for final approval and postings. SSP Jammu Uttam Chand has been promoted as DIG.
Official sources told the Excelsior that S Gopal Reddy, Additional DG Legal Metrology, Telangana, who is on inter-State deputation to Telangana and Dr Shesh Pal Vaid, Additional DGP (Headquarters), J&K, have been promoted as DGs. Reddy, a 1985 batch IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, was promoted after he gave his consent to return to Jammu and Kashmir.
There were only two vacant posts of DGPs, which have been filled with the promotion of Reddy and Dr Vaid. K Rajendra Kumar, DGP and SK Mishra, DG Prisons, were the other two officers holding top posts in the Police Department. Dr Vaid is 1986 batch IPS officer of J&K cadre.
Sources said after Reddy expressed willingness to return, the two senior most IPS officers were promoted as DGs while names of DR Doley and Naveen Aggarwal, Additional DG Trainings in Police Headquarters, were not considered for promotion as DGs.
“In case Reddy had refused to return, he and Doley, who is on Central deputation, would have got proforma promotion and Dr Vaid and Aggarwal, would have become DGs,’’ sources said.
Dr Vaid, a son of the soil, has held various prestigious postings in Jammu and Kashmir and Centre including IGP Jammu, DIG Jammu, DIG Crime Branch, DIG Anantnag, SSP Udhampur and SP City etc apart from present post of ADGP (Headquarters).
The Screening Committee met for a couple of hours at the Civil Secretariat this morning to approve the promotions. It was headed by Chief Secretary BR Sharma and comprised Principal Secretary (Home) RK Goyal and Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar
The promotions finalized by the DPC would go to the State Administrative Council (SAC), which has been constituted by Governor NN Vohra, for clearance. The SAC comprised both Advisors to the Governor—Parvez Dewan and Khurshid Ahmad Ganai and top officers called by the Governor.
Apart from Reddy and Dr Vaid, Doley and Aggarwal also qualified for the posts of DGs having completed 30 years of service.
The Screening Committee also cleared Rashmi Ranjan Swain, who is on Central deputation and posted in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and AK Choudhary, Managing Director Police Housing Corporation, for promotion from the post of IGPs to Additional DGs. While Swain was given proforma promotion, Choudhary has been designated as Additional DG in the State. Both of them were 1991 batch IPS officers of Jammu and Kashmir cadre.
Only Swain and Choudhary were eligible for promotion as Additional DGPs as they had completed 25 years of service.
Other Additional DGPs in the State included Naveen Aggarwal, ADG Trainings in Police Headquarters, VK Singh (ADGP Security), SM Sahai, ADGP Armed, Dilbagh Singh, ADG Headquarters and Lalat Indu Mohanty, Chairman, Police Recruitment Board and ADG Home Guards apart from Dr Vaid, who was today promoted as DG.
Sources said the Screening Committee deferred the issue of promotion of seven officers from DIG to IGPs due to some reasons including pending inquiry report of one of the DIGs and clear identification of the posts available of the IGPs in the State.
They added that the Committee would meet again in the next few days and all seven IPS officers of 1997 batch were likely to be cleared for posting as IGPs, who have completed 18 years of mandatory service for promotion as IGPs.
The officers, who were likely to be promoted as IGPs, included Viplav Kumar Choudhary, DIG Traffic Jammu and working as Incharge IGP Traffic Jammu, Gareeb Dass, DIG North Kashmir Range, Vijay Kumar, who is on Central deputation with CRPF, Alok Kumar, DIG Armed Jammu, Surinder Gupta, DIG Udhampur-Reasi range, Johnny Williams, DIG Rajouri-Poonch range, all IPS officers of 1997 batch and Ahfadul Mujtaba, DIG SSG, an IPS officer of 1998 batch. Vijay Kumar will be given proforma promotion.
Ashok Kumar Atri, who was IPS officer of 1997 batch and had retired on January 31 this year, could be considered for notional promotion.
While Viplav Kumar, Gareeb Dass, Vijay Kumar and Alok Kumar were Regular Recruits (direct IPS officers), Surinder Gupta, Johnny Williams, AK Atri and Ahfadul Mujtaba belonged to State Police Services (SPS).
The 1997 batch IPS officers had become due for promotion as IGPs in 2015.
The Screening Committee cleared SSP Jammu Uttam Chand for promotion as DIG.
Uttam Chand, an IPS officer of 2002 batch, has become eligible for posting as the DIG after completion of 14 years of services.
Though, six to seven posts of DIG would fall vacant following promotion of DIGs to IGPs, there were no other officers, who qualified for promotion as DIGs, which required 14 years of services. The IPS officers of 2003 batch will become eligible for promotion as DIGs in 2017.
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