G. Venkatraman Takes Charge as Tamil Nadu’s DGP

Fast Summary

• New Police Appointment: Senior IPS officer G.Venkatraman has been appointed as in-charge Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP)/Head of Police Force (HoPF) following the retirement of the incumbent, Shankar Jiwal.
• Retirement Update: Shankar Jiwal will now serve as chairman of the Fire Commission.
• Temporary Role for Venkatraman: Mr.Venkatraman, a 1994-batch IPS officer, will hold this position temporarily until a regular appointment is made as per Supreme Court guidelines from the Prakash Singh case.
• Government Proposal to UPSC: The Tamil Nadu government has sent a list of eight DGP-rank officers to the UPSC. After assessment and shortlisting by UPSC, a permanent appointment will be finalized.
• Compliance Issues highlighted: This marks the first recent deviation from Supreme Court rulings on appointing DGP/HoPF through “a merit-based obvious process.”
• Venkatraman’s Previous Roles:

– Served in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (DVAC).
– Played key roles in implementing e-governance at both state secretariat and police headquarters during his tenure as Officer on special Duty and ADGP Cyber Crime.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The temporary appointment of G. Venkatraman underscores both an immediate administrative challenge for Tamil nadu’s law enforcement leadership and broader systemic concerns about adherence to Supreme Court guidelines for high-ranking police appointments. While Mr. Venkatraman’s track record highlights competence in modernizing governance systems, delays in submitting proposals to UPSC could be indicative of larger procedural inefficiencies within state management.

this case also raises questions on compliance with judicial directives that aim to ensure transparency and meritocracy in such critical positions. Immediate resolution through a timely permanent appointment may help bolster public confidence while aligning with constitutional mandates governing institutional processes.

For more details, visit The Hindu.