Kerala Police set for top brass reshuffle

Thiruvananthapuram: A major reshuffle is on the cards in the Kerala Police with ADGP Dinendra Kashyap returning from central deputation and four DIGs set for elevation to the IG rank.

Dinendra Kashyap is returning to the state after serving as Joint Director of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), the country’s premier technical intelligence agency, for five years. Currently, three ADGP posts are lying vacant in the state.

At present, H Venkatesh, ADGP (Law and Order), holds additional charge of the Crime Branch, while ADGP (Headquarters) S Sreejith is handling additional responsibilities of Cyber Operations and the Police Battalion. A new ADGP is likely to be appointed exclusively for the Crime Branch and Cyber Operations.

Santhosh Varma, who is due for promotion as ADGP this month, is currently serving with the Central Intelligence Bureau and will not be returning to Kerala.

Meanwhile, the state-level screening for the DGP post that falls vacant in 2026 is nearing completion. ADGPs S Sreejith and Vijay Sakhare are the two officers who will attain the required seniority for promotion to the DGP rank. However, one of them may be considered for the post when Fire Force DGP Nidhin Agarwal retires next year.

At the same time, ADGP Yogesh Gupta, currently serving as Road Safety Commissioner, is slated for promotion to the DGP rank even if he is on central deputation. In his case, however, a decision from the Central Vigilance Commission is still pending.

Four senior ADGPs who have completed 18 years of service — S. Ajitha Begum, R. Nishanthini, Satish Bino, and Putta Vimaladitya — will be promoted as IGs this month. The screening meeting for their promotions will be held on December 4, chaired by the Chief Secretary, with the Home Secretary and the DGP as committee members.

Their elevation will also prompt restructuring at the IG level. Superintendents of Police Sivavikram, Himendranath, and Arul C. Krishna will be promoted as DIGs in December. Meanwhile, six new IPS officers of the Kerala cadre who have completed their training at the Police Academy have arrived in the state, four of them women.

IPS to be conferred on 10 more SPs
As many as 10 senior SPs in the state police will be promoted to IPS rank in the vacancies reported during the 2023–24 period. The UPSC has informed that the Screening Committee for conferring IPS will meet in New Delhi on December 9. A list of 20 officers from Kerala has been submitted for consideration.