SC to hear on August 18 pleas challenging appointment of Jharkhand DGP

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the appointment of Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta on grounds that due process was not followed.

A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria is scheduled to hear the petitions challenging Gupta's appointment.

Several petitions have been filed, including by Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi, who has challenged the appointment of Gupta as Director General of Police (DGP) of the state.

On July 24, the top court agreed to hear a plea of a social activist after senior advocate Anjana Prakash said the guidelines for appointment of DGP laid down by this court were not followed in Gupta's case.

Gupta was set to retire on April 30 under the Central government's rules on reaching the age of 60 but the state government wrote to the Centre for extension of his tenure.

According to sources, the Centre rejected the state government's proposal for the extension.

Previously too, a plea was filed in the top court against his "ad hoc" appointment by the Hemant Soren-led JMM government in the state.

On September 6, last year, the top court sought responses from the state government and Gupta on a contempt plea.

The contempt plea alleged non-compliance of a 2006 verdict of the apex court and subsequent directions mandating several aspects, including fixed tenure of two years for DGPs and their selection from a list of three senior most IPS officers of the state prepared by the UPSC. PTI MNL MNL DV DV