Stories
Supreme Court to Hear Centre Contempt Plea Over Jharkhand DGP Appointment
- •The Supreme Court agreed to hear a contempt plea filed by the Centre against the Jharkhand government and others for appointing Tadasha Mishra as state DGP just a day before her retirement.
- •Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant to list the contempt petition alongside other pending matters on Thursday.
- •The appointment allegedly violated Supreme Court guidelines requiring an officer to have a minimum of six months of residual service remaining.
- •Under the landmark Prakash Singh judgments, DGP appointees must have at least six months of service left and are guaranteed a minimum two-year tenure to ensure stability.
Key Questions Answered
The Centre filed a contempt plea against the Jharkhand government for appointing senior IPS officer Tadasha Mishra as the state DGP on December 30, 2025, just a day before her retirement. This appointment allegedly violated Supreme Court guidelines requiring an officer to have at least six months of residual service left at the time of assuming office.
Under the landmark Prakash Singh case judgments, the DGP of a state must be selected by the government from among the three senior-most officers empanelled for promotion by the UPSC based on length of service, good record, and experience. Once selected, the person must be given a minimum tenure of at least two years regardless of their superannuation date.
The Supreme Court clarified that states having a valid separate Act in place for the appointment of the director general of police must follow their own law, while states without such legislation must follow the guidelines laid down by the apex court in the Prakash Singh case.
