By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government’s Desperate Attempt to Appoint Tainted IPS Sanjeeb Panda Reached Supreme Court, PIL in Apex Court Challenging Mohan Charan Majhi’s Process for appointing the next DGP.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Odisha government’s process for appointing the next DGP. It alleges that the state is trying to bypass the Supreme Court’s guidelines in the Prakash Singh case.
Senior Advocate P. Chidambaram mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
The Court agreed to list it for urgent hearing (scheduled for the next day, 12 August 2026).
Main allegations:The Odisha government withdrew earlier panels of officers sent to the UPSC.It is now attempting to promote Additional Director General (ADGP)-rank officers to the DG grade and include them in a fresh panel for UPSC consideration
This is claimed to violate the Prakash Singh directions, under which the DGP should normally be selected from among the senior-most eligible officers empanelled by the UPSC.
Sanjeeb Panda (1994-batch IPS, earlier ADG Anti-Naxal Operations) is the junior officer most clearly linked to these developments. He (along with batchmate Yeshwant Kumar Jethwa) was promoted to DG rank on 10 August 2026 with the approval of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Reports indicate the state may now try to include such newly promoted officers in a revised list to the UPSC.
The incumbent DGP Y.B. Khurania is due to retire on 16 August 2026. The PIL focuses on alleged procedural irregularities and attempts to favour juniors over seniors (such as 1990-batch Sudhanshu Sarangi), rather than any personal charges against Panda.
The Supreme Court has indicated that the UPSC is expected to follow the Court’s earlier directions if any breach by the state is found. The matter is at a very early stage (mentioning stage only so far).
