Bhubaneswar, September 17: The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred the hearing on a case challenging the process for appointment of Odisha’s Director General of Police (DGP), posting the matter for September 22.

The hearing dealt with issues raised by amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran concerning the empanelment and eligibility lists prepared for the selection of the state police chief.

Among the issues raised was the exclusion of senior IPS officer Susanta Kumar Nath from the eligibility list. The amicus also flagged concerns regarding the integrity certificate of an officer included in the selection process.

Questions were also raised over the inclusion of two officers who were promoted to the rank of DGP after the initial list of eligible officers had already been forwarded by the Odisha government to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The case relates to the procedure adopted by the Odisha government for sending the names of eligible IPS officers to the UPSC for preparation of a panel for appointment of the state police chief.

Initially, the state government had forwarded the names of three DG-rank officers to the UPSC. Subsequently, additional names were included in the selection process, prompting questions over the eligibility and empanelment procedure.

The petition challenging the process has raised concerns over compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions in the 2006Prakash Singhjudgment, which laid down guidelines for police reforms, including the procedure for appointment of state police chiefs through a UPSC-prepared panel of eligible senior officers.

The Supreme Court’s decision in the matter will determine the further course of the DGP appointment process in Odisha.