A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant passed the order on an application moved by the State government which flagged the past incidents of ethnic and civil unrest in the State. File.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a Manipur government plea to appoint its Director General of Police (DGP) from outside the State cadre.A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant passed the order on an application moved by the State government which flagged the past incidents of ethnic and civil unrest in the State.The government said there was a need for a “competent” senior officer to head the State Police.“The difficulties we find as Central government is that, from among the eligible candidates, we are not able to find the person of that competence,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted.The incumbent in office, Rajiv Singh, an IPS officer from the Tripura cadre, was appointed Director General of Police in Manipur in June 2023 and his tenure is coming to an end on May 31, 2026.“This application has been moved by the State of Manipur briefly narrating the unprecedented ethnic and civil unrest that has taken place in the State… In the peculiar facts and circumstances prevailing in the State, the prayer has been made to appoint the Director General of Police from outside Manipur cadre. We find merit in the prayer. The application is allowed. The State of Manipur is permitted to appoint the Deputy Inspector General of Police from outside Manipur Cadre,” the court recorded in the order. Published - May 27, 2026 09:55 pm IST
