Rakesh Asthana as Delhi top cop: Apex court asks HC to decide on plea in 2 weeks
A Supreme Court bench granted permission to NGO 'Centre for Public Interest Litigation' to move the Delhi High Court to intervene in the pending plea against Asthana’s new role.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi High Court to decide within two weeks a pending plea challenging the appointment of senior IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as the police commissioner of Delhi.
Asthana was appointed as the top officer of the national capital on July 27, four days before his superannuation on July 31. He would have a tenure of one year as the police chief.
A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant granted permission to NGO 'Centre for Public Interest Litigation' (CPIL) to move the Delhi High Court to intervene in the pending plea against Asthana’s new role.
Appearing for the Centre, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said more time be given to the high court as the government would have to file its response to the pending plea there.
The petition, moved by advocate Prashant Bhushan, urged the court to set aside the Centre's order to appoint Asthana after extending his service period. The Delhi Assembly had also passed a resolution against the appointment and asked the Union ministry of home affairs to reverse the decision.
The Supreme Court had ruled in 2019 that only officers who have at least six months of service left before their superannuation should be considered for the post of director-general of police.
The 1984-batch IPS officer, who had shifted to Union cadre from Gujarat, was earlier serving as the director general of Border Security Force, before being appointed as the police commissioner of Delhi.
(With agency inputs)
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