MUMBAI: The state government on Friday appointed 58-year-old IPS officer Rajneesh Seth as the new director general of police of Maharashtra in place of Sanjay Pandey, who had been holding additional charge. Seth is due to retire in December 2023.
According to reports, Pandey, who is due for retirement in June this year, proceeded on a month’s leave on Friday. Seth, an IPS officer of the 1988 batch, was earlier leading the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Rajneesh Seth is the new state DGP. His father, Surendra Kumar Seth, too was an IPS officer and served as police commissioner in Nagpur and Pune and retired from the CBI.
The home department led by NCP’s Dilip Walse Patil was forced to quickly appoint a DGP following critical observations by Chief Justice of Bombay high court Dipankar Datta on the state’s delay in appointing a regular DGP. The HCm hearing a PIL filed by a social activist, had said Pandey was the “blue-eyed boy of the state government,” following which the state assured it a regular DGP would be appointed by February 21.
In the wake of HC’s remarks, it was made clear by state officials that there was no scope for appointment of Pandey as DGP. After ex-DGP Subodh Jaiswal took up Central deputation in April last year, additional charge was given to Pandey even though, according to guidelines laid down by SC in the Prakash Singh case, there is no provision for appointment of an acting DGP.
As per SC guidelines, the state government had submitted three names: those of Mumbai police chief Hemant Nagrale, DG (home guards) K Venkatesham and ACB DGP Seth. The Centre then sought information on all officers who have completed 30 years in IPS. Ultimately, UPSC approved the panel of Nagrale, Venkatesham and Seth. According to minutes of the meeting, it was expected the state would appoint the new DGP immediately after it got minutes of the meeting. “We failed to take the decision immediately and faced HC’s ‘wrath,” a state official said.
Officials said Seth was selected as he has two years to go before retirement, while Nagrale is set to retire in October 2022 and Venkatesham in May 2022. “Even SC felt the tenure of DGP should be at least two years,” the official said. Besides serving as SP, DCP and joint CP (law and order), Seth was IG (Force 1), additional DG (law and order), principal secretary (home), additional DG (ACB) and DG (ACB). Pandey will go back to his earlier assignment as MD, Maharashtra State Security Corporation.
