The Supreme Court on Tuesday junked petitions against thePunjab and Haryana High Court order, which upheld the appointment of DinkarGupta as Punjab Director General of Police.
A bench comprising Justices L. Nageswara Rao, SanjivKhanna and B.R. Gavai dismissed the petitions filed by IPS officers SiddharthChattopadhyay and Mohammad Mustafa, challenging February 7, 2019, order appointingGupta as the Punjab DGP.
The top court had reserved the order in the matter inSeptember this year. The detailed judgment in the matter is expected to beuploaded on the top court's website later in the day.
Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, representing theUnion Public Service Commission had submitted that draft guidelines, 2009 werelegal, binding and in conformity with the Prakash Singh judgment.
The counsel, representing Chattopadhyay, had argued thathis client was considered unfit, since Suresh Arora, the then DGP being the exofficio member of the empanelment committee for the selection of the post ofDGP had reason to be biased against him. Mustafa's counsel had argued that theappointment process for Gupta was tailor-made.