Randhawa pips Gupta to replace Reddy as SSP

This move is also being interpreted in official circles as amounting to overriding of the Union government’s intent. The Union Home Ministry’s letter to the Punjab Chief secretary, dated September 18, copies of which were sent to the UT Administration, had clearly stated that Dinkar Gupta’s approval for inter-cadre deputation was for appointment as SSP, Chandigarh, vice C.S.R. Reddy. Said a senior officer: "UT’s move, executed through a series of separate orders issued today, tantamounts to torpedoing the Union Home Ministry’s move."

A senior official of the Administration, who did not want to be identified, however, said that "it is merely local assignment of work, which is well within the powers of the UT Administration". He denied that this amounted to overruling the Centre. However, the chain of postings and appointments will start only when Dinkar Gupta is relieved by the Punjab government, which sources said could take a couple of days.

Randhawa, a 1985-batch IPS officer of the UT cadre, replaces Reddy, who goes back to his parent state of Punjab after completion of his deputation period of two years. Randhawa was also on his transfer to Delhi and another UT-cadre IPS officer of the 1985 batch, Ajay Kashyap, was to replace him. The Administration had earlier sought a panel for replacing Reddy, for which Gupta’s name was cleared by the Centre. In another order, the Administrator has also accepted the deputation of Dinkar Gupta for posting as SSP for two years. His deputation will start from the day he takes over. Meanwhile, in a separate order, Reddy will be relieved from the office of SSP after Dinkar takes over.

The move has caused ripples in the bureaucracy, as Dinkar Gupta’s appointment as SSP in place of Reddy was cleared by the Centre directly after overruling the recommendation made by the Administration.

The Administration, out of the two panels sent by the Punjab government for filling up the post, had recommended the name of Parag Jain, a 1989-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, who is posted as SP (Vigilance). Dinkar Gupta, a 1987-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer who is at present posted as SSP, Ludhiana, had been cleared directly by the Centre.

Sources say the UT Administrator has made these postings in view of the powers allocated to him as per the Punjab Police Rules. Officials, however, term the appointment as normal since Randhawa is senior of the two SSPs.

Interestingly, the Administration had earlier also transferred S.K. Gathwal from the post of chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board to Commissioner of the local Municipal Corporation. Gathwal was also selected for the post of CHB chairman by the Centre.

With the tussle for the post on for quite some time with hectic lobbying, it only now seems to have spilled over. The last time the post of Chandigarh SSP was held by a UT-cadre officer was by R.P. Singh (the present UT Inspector General of Police), who got relieved on December 21, 1990, when the post went to a Punjab-cadre IPS officer and S.S. Saini took over as the Chandigarh SSP.