Home Minister Anil Vij wanted him to be replaced, citing Supreme Court guidelines.
Haryana’s Director General of Police Manoj Yadava will now continue as the state police chief “till further orders” as the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday granted a one year extension to his tenure in his parent cadre.
Senior officers of the government told The Indian Express that it would now be the call of state government to allow Yadava to continue as state police chief. Reacting to MHA’s Tuesday order, CM Manohar Lal Khattar in a press conference said: “MHA has given him an extension of one year. Now, he can stay as DGP for another one year unless the extension granted to him is stalled.”
About a week ago, state’s Home Minister Anil Vij had written a scathing letter to Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeev Arora asking him to initiate the process of sending a panel of senior IPS officers to MHA for replacing Yadava who had completed his two-year tenure on February 20.
However, CM Manohar Lal Khattar, in an interaction with the mediapersons Monday, had come out in Yadava’s support and said that the state police chief will continue.
The matter of extension to Yadava has once again put the spotlight on divergent views held by state government’s two top leaders Khattar and Vij.
MHA’s Tuesday order, meanwhile, read, “The undersigned is further directed to convey the approval of the competent authority for extension of tenure of Shri Manoj Yadava, IPS (HY: 88), Additional Director, IB in his cadre for a period of one year beyond February 20, 2021 or till further orders whichever is earlier under the provision of para 6.6 of IPS Tenure Policy.”
Last month, Anil Vij, had written to ACS (Home) Rajeev Arora saying that the IAS officer shall be held “personally responsible in case of any future legal or any kind of complications in the matter,” if he does not initiate the process of sending a panel of IPS officers to the MHA for Yadava’s replacement.
However, sources told The Indian Express that despite Vij’s letter, the Home Department was yet to initiate the process of sending a panel of officers to MHA because the concerned file was yet to be cleared by the CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
Yadava, a 1988-batch IPS officer, was appointed as Haryana’s DGP on February 18, 2019. He took charge as DGP on February 21, 2019 for a period of two-year tenure that ended on February 20, 2021.
“Your attention is drawn to Government of Haryana’s order dated February 18, 2019 vide which Shri Manoj Yadava, IPS was appointed as the Director General of Police, Haryana (Head of Police Force). It was mentioned in the said order that his term shall be for a period of two years from the date of his assumption of office. As Shri Yadava assumed charge as DGP of Haryana on February 21, 2019, he has completed his two year tenure on February 21, 2021”, Vij’s letter had read.
It added, “Moreover, as per the orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, it was directed that ‘all the States shall send their proposals in anticipation of the vacancies to the UPSC well in time, at least three months prior to the date of retirement of the incumbent on the post of DGP’. In compliance of the various Hon’ble Supreme Court of India’s directions in this regard, and the fact that Shri Yadava has completed his two year tenure as DGP, a panel of officers who have completed 30 years of service and have a minimum of six months tenure left in service be sent immediately to UPSC to be considered for the next DGP, Haryana. The date of vacancy of the post of DGP Haryana may be considered as March 2, 2021”.
“Based on the above mentioned observations and the gradation list of IPS officers of Haryana, a panel of seven officers needs to be sent to UPSC immediately. In case any clarifications need to be made from your side in the above said, the same should reach this office by February 23, 2021 positively, failing which the same panel shall be deemed to be final and proceeded further. You may note that you shall be held personally responsible for any future legal or any kind of complications in this matter. The matter may be treated as most urgent and of top priority,” Vij’s had said in directions issued to ACS (Home).
However, sources told The Indian Express that the Supreme Court guidelines do not apply in the current scenario because the two-year tenure is already over and MHA’s latest order has granted one year extension to Yadava’s tenure.
In January, last year Vij locked horns with the then state intelligence chief Anil Rao. Vij even ordered the then Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Vijai Vardhan to chargesheet Rao “for major penalty” for not being able to gather enough intelligence inputs in the absence of which the social fabric of the state was endangered. The chargesheet for major penalty may lead to an officer’s dismissal from service, reduction in rank or suspension as a form of punishment. However, Rao continued on his post and soon after his retirement, Khattar took Rao in the CMO as Adviser (Public Safety, grievances, good governance and overall incharge of CM’s window).
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