A new legal challenge has been filed in the Madras High Court over Tamil Nadu’s recent appointment of G. Venkatraman as the temporary Director General of Police (DGP). The petition questions whether the appointment followed proper procedures, especially since several senior officers were also eligible for the post.
The case was filed by R. Varadaraj, a retired police inspector and current advocate, who also leads the Nethaji Makkal Katchi political party. The petition is set to be heard by the court’s division bench on Monday.
Varadaraj argues that the Tamil Nadu government did not follow the rules set by the Supreme Court in 2006, known as the Prakash Singh case. These rules state that the state should send a list of eligible DGP officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC then prepares a panel of the top three candidates, from which the government must choose one with a fixed two-year tenure.
According to the petitioner, Tamil Nadu should have submitted the list of eligible officers to the UPSC by May 2025, three months before the retirement of the last DGP, Shankar Jiwal, on August 31. But the list was not sent on time, leading to what Varadaraj calls an “ad-hoc and improper” appointment.
He also claims that G. Venkatraman, who was serving as DGP of Administration and was responsible for preparing the officer list, was chosen for the top job. This, he suggests, could indicate political motives behind the appointment.
The petitioner is worried that appointing Venkatraman temporarily just before the 2026 assembly elections could impact police neutrality and fairness. He has asked the court to cancel the Home Secretary’s notification, which officially appointed Venkatraman on August 31. Additionally, he requests that the government follow the proper UPSC process to choose a permanent DGP.
Until a decision is made, R. Varadaraj has also requested that the court allow one of the three most senior officers in the DGP cadre to take charge of the police department temporarily. He urges the court to put a hold on Venkatraman’s appointment until the case is resolved.
This legal challenge highlights ongoing concerns about transparency and fairness in police appointments in Tamil Nadu, especially ahead of key elections.
