Appointment of Punjab DGP

March 1, 2026

In recent times, opposition parties in Punjab have been politically blatantly claiming that the state is plagued by gun culture, extortion threats, and gangsterism. Although the Punjab Police, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is bravely combating crime.

The security forces have achieved significant successes, the Supreme Court has stated in an order that Punjab has been without a permanent Director General of Police for the past four years. It would be better if the state had a permanent Director General of Police to combat terrorism and rising crime rates. Following this, the continuation of Punjab’s acting DGP, Gaurav Yadav, for the past three and a half years, has been questioned, and the process of appointing a permanent Director General of Police in Punjab has been expedited.

First, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has sought a panel of senior IPS officers, citing the Supreme Court’s directive. Gaurav Yadav, the acting DGP of Punjab, has been in office since the Aam Aadmi Party government was formed in March 2022. He is a 1992-batch IPS officer. The Police Amendment Bill, 2023, provided for the appointment of the acting DGP, which remains in effect until now. Following the court order, a panel of three senior-most IPS officers, based on their seniority and service, must be submitted to the UPSC within ten days. Only about a week remains. Currently, there are 16 other DGPs in addition to Gaurav Yadav.

Three of these will now be included in the panel. Rank-wise, Gaurav Yadav belongs to the 1992 batch. Three IPS officers, Sharad Satya Chauhan, Harpreet Singh Sidhu, and Kuldeep Singh, also belong to the same seniority. Sanjeev Kalra, of the 1989 batch, is senior to him, but he is retiring on February 28th. The condition is that the permanent DGP must have at least six months of tenure.

Sanjeev Kalra is not in the running, but Gaurav Yadav’s name could certainly be included in the panel. The Union Public Service Commission will provide a permanent DGP to the Punjab Police Force, giving them a permanent command. Assembly elections are due in Punjab in a year, so the appointment of a permanent DGP is of great importance to the government. Conducting peaceful elections will be a major responsibility. It will soon be clear which qualified officer will be appointed as the permanent DGP of Punjab.