Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 9: The state high court (HC), on Wednesday June 8, served notice to the state government relating to the appointment of Omprakash as inspector general and director general of police of the state.

Senior IPS officer, Sushant Mahapatra, who is the chairman and managing director of Karnataka Police Housing Corporation, had approached the HC, challenging the state government's order appointing senior IPS officer, Omprakash, to the said post. He has requested theHC to nullify the above appointment order.

The division bench of the high court comprising Justice Jayant Patel and Justice B Srinivase Gowda ordered issuance of notices to the chief minister, chief secretary of the government, home minister, law and parliamentary affairs minister, as well as the secretary in the department of personnel and administrative affairs. It also asked all the original documents relating to the appointment of DGP to be placed before the court.

After Omprakash was chosen to the post on February 28 2015, Mahapatra had approached Central Administrative Tribunal seeking to quash this order. The tribunal had dismissed it on March 3, 2016. The petitioner had contended that the state government has not followed the guideline provided by Supreme Court for such appointments as per which, UPSC has to form a high level committee, which has to recommend names of three IPS officers after verifying seniority, service, and records. One of them is then chosen by the chief minister as DGP. In the case of Omprakash's appointment, the state formed high level committee on its own against Supreme Court guidelines, and appointed Omprakash to the post of DGP, Mahapatra has claimed.