DG&IGP Alok Mohan gets two-year tenure with extension till May 21

In a significant move that will have a long-term impact for years to come, the State government has extended the service of Alok Mohan, the incumbent Director General and Inspector General (DG&IGP), Karnataka State Police, till May 21, to ensure he gets a two-year tenure. Otherwise, he would have retired on April 30.

This is the first such case in the State where the service of the DG&IGP has been extended to ensure a minimum of two years’ tenure. This will become a precedent, and those who follow Alok Mohan as Heads of Police Force (HoPF) in Karnataka, but have less than two years’ service left from the date they take charge, will likely benefit from this move.

A tenure of a minimum of two years was part of the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh case that led to police reforms in the country. Following the Supreme Court order, the Government of Karnataka brought an amendment to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, adding a clause that the DG&IGP shall have a tenure of not less than two years “subject to superannuation”. Even as this clause stays on the books to this day, the government submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court in 2019-20, where it gave an undertaking that it would implement the Prakash Singh case judgement.

After this affidavit, Neelmani N. Raju and Praveen Sood, who headed the State’s police force, had over two years’ service before retirement. So the question of extension beyond their superannuation did not arise. However, this question came to the fore with Alok Mohan having a less than two-year tenure.

Even as Mr. Sood was appointed Director, Central Investigation Bureau (CBI), Mr. Mohan took charge as in-charge DG&IGP of the state police on May 21, 2023. His appointment was confirmed on August 5, 2023. The state government has now considered May 21, when he took charge as in-charge DG&IGP to calculate a two-year tenure. 

Panel of eligible senior officers sent to UPSC to select next DG&IGP

The State government has sent a panel of all senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers of the State cadre who have completed a total of 30 years of service to the Union Public Service Commission, to choose the next DG&IGP on Tuesday. The government expects the selection process to be completed by May 21.

The list includes five Director General of Police (DGP) rank officers Prashanth Kumar Thakur, M.A. Saleem, K. Ramachandra Rao, Malini Krishnamurthy, Pronab Mohanty and two Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank officers Alok Kumar and B. Dayananda.