Thiruvananthapuram: State police chief Anil Kanth has recommended the Kerala Government to promote B Sandhya to the grade of the Director General of Police.
Anil Kanth made the recommendation to the Secretary of Home Department since Sandhya would lose a month’s seniority after the former was made the police chief with DGP rank. Kant took over as the police chief on June 30.
Currently an Additional Director General of Police, Sandhya was among the three officers shortlisted to the top police post in the State. She is now the Director General of the Fire and Rescue Services, Home Guard and Civil Defence.
The officer recommended the government to use its discretionary power to create a temporary post of the DGP to promote Sandhya. The state governments have the authority to create the temporary post of DGP for a year without the Centre’s approval.
The creation of the new post, however, would be subject to the approval of the Accountant General.
The Centre has approved four posts of DGPs for the State. Loknath Behera, Sudesh Kumar, Rishi Raj Singh, and Tomin Thachankary were holding the rank of DGP.
With the retirement of Behera, Sandhya was to be promoted to the rank of DGP. Kanth was eligible for promotion only after the retirement of Singh on July 31. Both Sandhya and Kanth belong to the 1988 cadre of IPS officers.
But with the government deciding to appoint Kanth as the police chief from the shortlisted three IPS officers, he was promoted to the grade of DGP with the same salary scale that of the Chief Secretary. Sandhya now would be granted the DGP grade only after Singh’s retirement, making her lose a month.
Meanwhile, Kanth would be drawing more salary than his senior DGPs Singh and Thachankary. Besides Sandhya and Kanth, Sudesh Kumar, too, was in the race to the State’s top police position.
