New DGP for state: shortlist on 26th, decision by 30th

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is set to finalise and share the list of eligible candidates for Kerala’s next Director General of Police (DGP) on June 26. A meeting to prepare the list will be held in Delhi on the same day, after which the approved names will be sent to the state government.

Senior IPS officers from the Kerala cadre — Nitin Agarwal, Ravada Chandrasekhar, and Yogesh Gupta — are expected to be on the panel.

Normally, the UPSC suggests the names of the top three senior officers, provided there are no complaints or disqualifications. The Chief Minister can then recommend one of them for appointment. In some cases, the decision is taken after a discussion in the state cabinet, but the CM has the final say.

The current DGP, Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, will retire on June 30. As time is short, a special cabinet meeting may be needed if the name is to be officially discussed before his term ends.

If any of the top three officers are excluded, Manoj Abraham, who heads the Vigilance Department, may be added to the list as the next senior officer.

As of now, there are no known complaints against any of the likely candidates.

• Nitin Agarwal, the most senior among them, currently serves as the Road Safety Commissioner. He was earlier repatriated from his central posting in the BSF.
• Ravada Chandrasekhar is currently the Secretary of the Central Security Department.
• Yogesh Gupta is the Director General of the Fire Force.

Other officers like ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar and ADGP Suresh Raj Purohit, who is now on central deputation, are also being considered.