Shivdeep Lande. Telegraph picture

The government has landed in a soup over the appointment of Shivdeep Lande as Patna city superintendent of police.

The notification of the 2009-batch IPS officer’s appointment came late last week although the government’s decision seemed a bit early with Lande far from being relieved of his present posting at Raj Bhavan.

Lande, known as a firebrand officer, has now been asked by the government to continue as the aide de camp (ADC) to outgoing Governor D.Y. Patil. Lande, who hails from Amravati in Maharashtra, had served as Patna city SP for 10 months before being transferred to Araria on November 22, 2011. On March 30, 2013, he was appointed ADC to the governor.

Additional director-general (headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey said on November 14 that the “movement orders” for Lande and four others had been notified.

In government parlance, “movement orders” means the officer has to join the new assignment given to him at once. All officers, except Lande, have already joined duty.

“The governor’s term will end on November 27. Every governor has two ADCs — one an IPS officer appointed by the state government and the other a Major-rank officer of the army appointed by the Centre. The state government had this idea that the governor was continuing with two ADCs as usual. However, the Major on ADC duty had left long back. Once we came to know that, we felt that it would be a wrong decision to remove the lone ADC (Lande) too. After the governor’s term ends, the Centre will either appoint a new governor or the chief justice of Patna High Court will be appointed acting governor. If there is no ADC during the transitional period, it will send a wrong message. So, Lande has now been asked to wait till new appointment,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Patil joined as governor of Tripura on November 27, 2009, and came to Bihar after that. His full five-year term as governor ends on November 27.

“Once the new governor is appointed, the government will send a list of officers to him/her. If Lande is selected, he will have hardly any choice than to continue but the officer’s will is also taken into consideration, the officer said.

Lande played safe on the issue. “Officially, I am still the ADC to governor until relieved from my duty,” Lande said without further comments.

Sources said with many officers, who are junior to Lande, holding post of SPs in different districts, the government could change the notification and give an independent district’s charge to him.

“There are talks that he (Lande) might be made the Gaya SSP — the post being occupied by 2005-batch officer Nishant Kumar Tiwary. Jitender Rana, also a 2005-batch IPS, is the Patna SSP. Both these officers are just a year senior to Lande and hold position of SSP. Jayant Kant, a 2009-batch IPS, is the SP Buxar and Kim Sharma, a 2008-batch IPS, is posted as SP Khagaria. They are junior to Lande and are holding independent districts,” another police officer added.

Patna has been without a city SP with long tenure for quite some time. Satyaveer Singh, a 2008-batch IPS and posted as Patna city SP, was sent to Saran on November 10 with Patna traffic SP P.K Das taking his place.

Singh had been made the Patna city SP on October 8 only. The state capital has had to deal with more than three city SPs — Ashish Bharti, Manavjeet Singh Dhillon and Satyaveer — since Jayant Kant’s transfer in June this year.