By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI:Today (August 18, 2026), the Odisha government filed/submitted its response (stand) in the Supreme Court in a PIL challenging the process for appointing the next Director General of Police (DGP).
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant (with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana) heard the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Odisha government, informed the court that the state had filed its reply. The bench noted that the reply was not yet on record, and the CJI said he wanted to examine it. The hearing was then deferred to September 2.
Today In court, State Government advocates were in a pitiable condition. They filed their counter very late, wanted a hearing tomorrow, and requested that the court dismiss the PIL on locus standi grounds. They wanted the next hearing tomorrow, but hearing that hearing, that the State Government is mentioning the case, P Chidambaram, who had left the court, joined through VC and sought time for rejoinder. The court fixed the hearing on the 2nd.
The PIL alleges that the Odisha government tried to include a junior/ineligible officer in the panel of candidates for DGP in breach of the Supreme Court’s 2006 Prakash Singh guidelines on police reforms (which require selection from the three senior-most empanelled officers based on service, record, and experience, with a minimum two-year tenure).
Earlier (around August 13), the Court had directed the UPSC not to finalise any panel until the August 18 hearing. Incumbent DGP Y.B. Khurania retired on August 16; an interim arrangement is in place.
No detailed final arguments or decision occurred today—the Court indicated it would hear all sides together later (petitioner may file a rejoinder). The next substantive hearing is scheduled for September 2.
