D.D. Lapang

Shillong, March 22: Chief minister D.D. Lapang today told the Meghalaya Assembly that the state government after considering the Central Administrative Tribunal ruling on the replacement of Assam’s DGP, would ensure adherence to the seniority criterion while appointing the state’s police chief.

The tribunal recently declared the appointment of Shankar Barua as Assam DGP illegal after it was challenged by his senior Sharada Prasad.

Meghalaya also faces a controversy following the appointment of S.B. Kakati as director-general of police though he is junior to DG (prisons) Kulbir Krishan.

Replying to a question by Opposition NCP’s James K. Sangma, Lapang mentioned the names of all senior IPS officers of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre where Krishan was named senior to Kakati.

Answering to a supplementary question, Lapang said the government was aware of the tribunal’s verdict and committed to adhere to seniority in posting police officials in Meghalaya too.

Earlier, after the tribunal’s verdict on the Assam DGP post, Krishan had said that he did not want either to embarrass the Meghalaya government or demoralise the police by going to the court or to the tribunal. He wanted the Meghalaya government to do the needful in his case too, taking a cue from Assam.

Meghalaya saw the appointment of as many as four acting DGPs in a span of two years since March 2007 when senior police official B.K. Dey Sawian was appointed DGP on a temporary and interim measure. Sawian was appointed in March 2007 as an officiating DGP till he got a posting in New Delhi in February 2009. Krishan was appointed the officiating DGP when the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance government was in power in early part of 2009.

When the Congress-led MUA government came into power in May last year, the government replaced Krishan who was the seniormost police official in the state from the post and appointed his junior Anil Pradhan. The chief minister who is holding the home portfolio did not want to appoint Krishan again as the DGP and instead posted him as the DG (prisons) by creating the second ex-cadre post.

There can be only one cadre post (DGP) and another ex-cadre post (DG civil defence and home guards) in Meghalaya.

DG (prisons) is the second ex-cadre post created by the government which was earlier opposed by the Union home ministry. Pradhan was forced to go on leave following the Shillong jailbreak, but instead of appointing Krishan as the DGP, the government again adopted the policy of appointing an officiating DGP. B. Kezo, junior to Krishan, was given the charge of acting DGP in August last year. Later, the government chose Kakati as the new DGP.