new DelhiAmidst a controversy over the extension of his tenure as Director General of Police (DGP) of Nagaland, top police officer T. John Longkumar resigned on Monday. His resignation came a week before the Supreme Court’s final hearing on the process of his appointment.
the apex court had earlier drawn The Nagaland government extended Longkumar’s tenure by six months even though he was to retire on August 31 last year.
Longkumar’s extension was to end on February 28, 2023, but ThePrint has learned that the 1991-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer had already resigned as the state government has to appoint a new DGP before the Nagaland assembly elections , which is expected to be March. Traditionally, an officer holding the post of DGP continues till the time the elections begin.
Since the 2018 state elections, a Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)–Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance has been in power in Nagaland.
After Longkumar’s resignation, Rupin Sharma, a 1992 batch officer of Nagaland cadre, has emerged as the frontrunner for the post.
Significantly, Sharma was Appointed as Nagaland DGP in November 2017, but was removed Also as State Govt. within seven months from office faced charges Demanding to replace him with a “yes man”.
Renchamo P Kikone, a junior officer of the 1998 batch, was briefly made the interim DGP until Longkumer, whose home state is Nagaland, was brought on inter-state deputation from Chhattisgarh in June 2018.
When Longkumar’s three-year deputation ended in June 2021, his service was extended by a year till August 2022, when he was due to retire. However, he has got an extension of six more months.
It caused controversy since it went against the recommendations of the UPSC regarding the appointment of the Nagaland DGP.
In March last year, the Nagaland government sent a list of three eligible candidates for the post of DGP to the UPSC – T. John Longkumar, Renchamo P. Kikon and Rupin Sharma. The UPSC then rejected Longkumar as he was about to retire and also rejected Kikon’s name as he did not have sufficient seniority for the post.
The UPSC, however, had cleared Sharma’s name and told the state that he was the only choice as DGP.
Despite this, the state government extended Longkumar’s tenure for six months and the Home Ministry approved the decision.
Following this, the Nagaland Law Students Federation, a local organization of law students, filed a petition in the Supreme Court. in one last month orderThe top court asked the Nagaland government, UPSC and the Home Ministry to complete all formalities and take a final decision by December 19, but it has not done so yet.
Speaking to ThePrint, UPSC special counsel Naresh Kaushik said that more time has been given to take a decision.
“We have time till January 9, as given to us by the court, to take a final decision and name the DGP for appointment,” he said.
Alemtemshi Jamir, working president and former chief secretary of the NDPP, which is part of the ruling coalition, said: “The government is trying to get out of this. We do not have enough senior officers who are eligible for this position. The government is weighing the options.
Meanwhile, IPS and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers ThePrint spoke to pointed out “bias” on the part of the Nagaland government while appointing senior officers.
,[Longkumer] A senior Nagaland-cadre IAS officer said, held the post for four years and got an extension, which is technically incorrect. “But the government gives preference to Naga officers here,” he alleged.
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nine month standoff
The standard procedure is that a DGP is generally appointed after consultation between the UPSC and the state government. In the case of Nagaland, there has been a tussle between the two since March 2022.
As per the October 17 order of the Supreme Court, the Nagaland government had initially sent the names of three officers along with relevant records to the UPSC for the appointment of DGPs. In its response in April, as mentioned earlier, UPSC rejected the names of Longkumar and Kikon as the former was due to retire in August and the latter was yet to complete 30 years of service.
The UPSC also informed that the name of Sunil Acharya, who was at “No. 1 in the seniority list of Nagaland cadre IPS officers”, was deleted from the list of the Government of Nagaland. UPSC said that his name should have been included in the eligibility list.
While these communications were on between the Government of Nagaland and the UPSC, Acharya has expressed reluctance to return to his cadre.
Nevertheless, following the October 17 order of the SC – in which it asked for a fresh list of names for the post of DGP – the state government included Acharya in its new list (along with Rupin Sharma).
In its December 9 order, the court said: “It appears that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has indicated that A. Sunil Acharya, who is on Central deputation, does not wish to be considered for appointment.”
When asked about the next DGP, NDPP working president Alemtemshi Jamir claimed that the government is currently in a bind. “There is no alternative, as one of the two recommended officers expressed their reluctance to return to their cadre,” he said, adding that efforts were on to find a solution.
Kaushik, a lawyer for UPSC, however, said that the court has ruled out issues like stalling the appointment. “The court said that if the state had an officer, that officer could be appointed.”
Allegations of ‘discrimination’
Even as the issue of appointment of DGP in the state is still unresolved, senior IPS officers of Nagaland cadre allege that the government has been “discriminatory” towards non-Naga officers in terms of promotions and postings.
“From 1989, when the Nagaland cadre was formed, till 2001, at least 13 of the total 16 officers either resigned or went on central deputation. One of them was killed by the militants. The officers on deputation never came back to the state,” said a senior IPS officer of Nagaland cadre, who is now serving on central deputation
“The state government is still biased against non-Naga officers who are still in the state and have not changed cadre or sought central deputation. This is a clear discrimination against officers who are not from Nagaland.
A second senior official said he was part of a group of officers filed a petition The state government in 2017 regarding alleged discrimination against non-Naga IPS officers. He said the home ministry had written to the state government in April that year seeking its intervention, but the situation had not improved.
“We raised several issues including promotions and field postings. However, nothing has changed yet,” he said.
(Edited by Asawari Singh)