CAT notice to Punjab, UPSC on Dinkar Gupta’s DGP appointment

CHANDIGARH: The bench of Central Administrative Tribunal here has issued notices to the Union Public Service Commission, the Punjab government, state DGP Dinkar Gupta, former DGP Suresh Arora and others, after DGP-rank officer Siddharth Chattopadhyaya challenged the appointment of Gupta as the state’s top cop.


Chattopadhyaya is the second senior Punjab Police officer to have opposed the appointment. Before him, DGP-rank officer Mohammad Mustafa had moved the tribunal against the decision. The replies have been sought by March 27 and arguments will take place on April 5. Chattopadhyaya claimed that Arora had vested interests in Gupta’s appointment names of both surfaced in a report filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court on the nexus between drug traffickers and law enforcement agencies in Punjab. He also accused carrying out “illegal surveillance by putting microphhone illegally in March 2012 when he was on deputation with IB, at point of time whereby he was unceremoniously removed and repartiated”.

He has requested the tribunal to summon records of Gupta in respect to his repatriation to Punjab from the Intelligence Bureau in 2012.

Chattopadhyaya has requested CAT to quash the February 7 order which appointed Gupta as the DGP of Punjab. It is also prayed to direct the applicant for producing the probe report filed in high court. Adocate Rajiv Atma Ram pointed out that it was in news that the office of the defence minsiter in March 2012, A K Antony, was bugged illegaly with a microphone. Gupta was on deputation with IB at the time and he was unceremoniously removed and repartiated to Punjab, the petition pointed out.

It was submitted hat the master file pertaining the March 2012 incident was “purportedly” in the possession of chief secretary of Punjab and it was prayed that the same should be summoned and retained. It was pointed out that these facts were not put up before UPSC before.