New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) high-level empanelment committee is meeting in New Delhi on Friday to shortlist three senior IPS officers for the post of Odisha’s next Director General of Police, ahead of incumbent Y B Khurania’s retirement on August 16 after completing his two-year tenure.
The Odisha government had earlier formally approved Khurania’s superannuation with effect from the afternoon of that date.
The succession process, however, was set in motion back in May, when the Odisha government forwarded a comprehensive list of 11 eligible senior IPS officers to the UPSC.
According to established Supreme Court guidelines, the UPSC prepares a panel of three names based on length of service, a very good record and diverse experience in policing leadership. The state government then selects one from that shortlist. Eligibility requires at least 25 years of service and a minimum residual tenure of six months from the date of the vacancy.
The high-level selection committee tasked with vetting the candidates comprises the UPSC chairperson or their nominee, the Union Home Secretary or an equivalent representative, a central police organisation chief nominated by the Ministry of Home Affairs who is outside the Odisha cadre, alongside the Odisha Chief Secretary and the outgoing DGP.
The officers under consideration are Sudhanshu Sarangi of the 1990 batch, currently the senior-most and already holding DGP rank as Director General of Fire Services, Home Guards and Civil Defence; Susanta Kumar Nath and R P Koche, both 1993-batch officers also in DGP rank and serving as Director General of Prisons and Director of Intelligence respectively; Sanjeeb Panda and Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa of the 1994 batch; Ritu Arora, Saumendra Priyadarshi, Santosh Bala and P.S. Ranpise of the 1995 batch; and Arun Bothra and Sunita Kakran of the 1996 batch. Most of the later-batch officers currently hold Additional Director General rank and have more than three decades of service.
Another DGP-rank officer, Vinaytosh Mishra, who serves as the DG of the Crime Branch, has been ruled out of contention because he retires in November, falling short of the mandatory six-month residual service requirement from the date of the vacancy.
Bureaucratic circles have identified senior figures like Sudhanshu Sarangi, R.P. Koche, and Sanjeeb Panda as strong frontrunners for the final shortlist.
Once the three-name panel is finalised and sent to the state, the Odisha government will exercise its discretion to appoint the new police chief, ensuring the process remains transparent and guided by seniority, merit and experience.