Supreme Court Reviews Jharkhand Police Appointment Rules

The Supreme Court of India ruled that Jharkhand's regulations for appointing the Director General of Police (DGP) are prima facie in conflict with the law established in the Prakash Singh case. The court is reviewing whether the state's 2025 regulations violate a 2006 judgment that mandates transparent appointments and a minimum two-year tenure for the role.

The Government of India challenged the regulations after Jharkhand removed the requirement for officers to have at least six months of residual service before superannuation. The central government specifically objected to the appointment of Tadasha Mishra as DGP on December 30, 2025, just one day before her retirement, as well as a previous appointment of Anurag Gupta. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated the center would oppose any state law contrary to the Prakash Singh directions.

In response, senior advocate Kapil Sibal stated that the Jharkhand government will revisit the rules, though he questioned why the central government targeted Jharkhand over other states. The court has issued a notice to Tadasha Mishra and asked amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran to examine DGP appointment laws across all Indian states to determine if the regulations should be set aside.