Madhya Pradesh DGP Selection: UPSC to Consider 12 Officers for Three-Member Panel

The news

The Union Public Service Commission will meet on 20 November 2026 in Delhi to prepare a three-officer panel for the next Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh. The state government has forwarded 12 names to the UPSC, and the panel will be chosen from among them. Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav is expected to approve one of the three names before the Home Department issues the appointment order, and the new DGP is to take charge on 1 December 2026.

The UPSC meeting is scheduled for 3 pm in Delhi and will be attended by the UPSC chairperson or a representative, Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Shukla, and current DGP Kailash Makwana. Among the 12 officers proposed, Varun Kapoor, Upendra Jain and Pragya Richa Srivastava are considered likely panel candidates because no complaint or inquiry is pending against them. If agreement on these names is not reached, Pankaj Srivastava, fourth in the seniority order, may also be discussed. Chief Minister Yadav is scheduled to leave on a foreign tour on 23 November to invite investors for the Global Investors Summit, and he is expected to decide on the DGP before his departure. The incoming DGP's tenure will be at least two years, based on a Supreme Court order.

What is the Prakash Singh case on police reforms?

The Supreme Court delivered its landmark judgment in Prakash Singh v. Union of India in 2006, directing states to reform their police forces. The court mandated that the Director General of Police be selected from a panel of three senior-most officers prepared by the Union Public Service Commission. It also fixed a minimum two-year tenure for the DGP to insulate the post from political and bureaucratic pressures. The judgment came on a public interest litigation filed in 1996 by former DGP Prakash Singh and others. The court issued seven binding directives covering selection, tenure, and the separation of investigation and law-and-order functions.

How is the DGP selected in states?

The selection of a state's Director General of Police follows a process laid down by the Supreme Court. The state government sends a list of eligible Indian Police Service officers to the UPSC. The UPSC then prepares a panel of three officers, from which the state government appoints one as DGP. The appointed officer is guaranteed a minimum tenure of two years, as mandated by the Supreme Court, to ensure stability and independence in police leadership.

What are the stages before the final appointment?

The process has four distinct stages: the state forwards a list of eligible officers to the UPSC; the UPSC, in a meeting with state officials, shortlists three names; the Chief Minister approves one of the three; and the Home Department issues the formal appointment order. In the current case, the UPSC meeting on 20 November will produce the panel, and the Chief Minister's approval is expected before his 23 November foreign tour. The new DGP is to assume charge on 1 December.