The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has turned down the panel of names suggested by the Bengal government for the role of director-general of police and has sent the proposal back, advising the state to seek clarification from the Supreme Court.

A letter dated December 31, 2025, signed by Nand Kishore Kumar, director (AIS) of the UPSC, claims that the state is responsible for an “abnormal and unexplained delay” in starting the DGP appointment process.

In the communication, UPSC cited a Prakash Singh Commission order on appointment guidelines that says: “All the States shall send their proposals in anticipation of the vacancies to the Union Public Service Commission, well in time at least three months prior to the date of retirement of the incumbent....”

In Bengal, the post of DGP fell vacant on December 28, 2023, after the retirement of Manoj Malviya on December 27, 2023.

Thereafter, Rajeev Kumar, an IPS officer of the 1989 batch, worked as the acting DGP of Bengal.

According to the Supreme Court’s directives, the state government should have sent a panel of eligible officers to the UPSC at least three months before the retirement of the incumbent DGP. However, the state allegedly submitted its proposal nearly one and a half years later, in July 2025.

Following this delayed submission, the UPSC’s empanelment committee sought the opinion of the attorney-general of India.

The attorney-general is said to have opined that accepting the proposal of the Bengal government would deprive legitimate aspirants of their candidature for the post.

Kumar is scheduled to retire by the end of January.