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After months of delays caused by litigation and repeated postponements, Tamil Nadu has yet got a regular Director General of Police and Head of Police Force (DGP/HoPF).
On Wednesday (June 3, 2026), Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, a 1994-batch IPS officer, assumed complaint arsenic the DGP/HoPF of the Tamil Nadu police, astir 10 months aft the vacancy arose. Later successful the day, helium met Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay astatine the Secretariat successful Chennai.
Dr. Aggarwal succeeds Sandeep Rai Rathore, who was appointed to the station by the Election Commission of India (ECI) successful the run-up to the Assembly predetermination held successful April 2026.
Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal meets CM C. Joseph Vijay aft taking complaint arsenic DGP/HoPF | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
With astir six years of work left, Dr. Aggarwal is the youngest constabulary serviceman to inhabit the apical station and volition person a minimum tenure of 2 years nether the Supreme Court’s guidelines successful the Prakash Singh case. There is, however, nary barroom connected his continuing successful the station until superannuation.
Disagreement implicit prime of officers
The assignment brings to a adjacent a protracted process marked by administrative delays, ineligible challenges, and disagreements betwixt the State authorities and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The station should person ideally been filled connected September 1, 2025, pursuing the retirement of the past DGP/HoPF, Shankar Jiwal. However, the process was delayed for aggregate reasons.
Going by the Supreme Court guidelines, the State authorities is required to initiate the enactment process good successful beforehand and guardant a database of eligible DGP-rank officers to the UPSC astatine slightest six months earlier the vacancy arises. In this case, the connection was reportedly sent lone a fewer days earlier Mr. Jiwal’s status successful the past week of August 2025.
State posted in-charge DGP
As the connection remained pending with the UPSC, the State authorities appointed G. Venkatraman, a 1994-batch IPS officer, arsenic the DGP in-charge.
Subsequently, erstwhile the UPSC convened an Empanelment Committee Meeting (ECM) to finalise a sheet of 3 officers for assignment arsenic the regular DGP/HoPF, the past Chief Secretary, representing the State, objected to the inclusion of definite officers though they had already been cleared by the authorities and included successful the connection sent to the commission.
The UPSC, however, proceeded with the meeting, finalised the panel, and communicated the names of 3 DGP-rank officers to the State government.
The State did not prime immoderate of the officers empanelled by the UPSC. Then Law Minister S. Regupathy publically accused the Centre of interfering with the enactment process and alleged that the UPSC had ignored the views of the Chief Secretary. He besides stated that the 3 officers recommended by the committee were not acceptable to the State government.
Tamil Nadu subsequently wrote to the UPSC, expressing its objections to the sheet and seeking reconsideration. The commission, however, maintained its presumption and declined to change the panel.
Inquiries launched and closed
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) initiated elaborate inquiries against 2 DGP-rank officers. In 1 case, the integrity certificate of an serviceman was withdrawn, disqualifying him from information for the apical post. The inquiries were aboriginal closed.
As the in-charge statement continued, activists approached the Supreme Court with a contempt petition, citing the court’s ruling successful the Prakash Singh lawsuit that “none of the States shall ever conceive of the thought of appointing immoderate idiosyncratic connected the station of DGP connected acting basis, for determination is nary conception of acting DGP.”
On February 12, 2026, the Supreme Court directed that a regular DGP beryllium appointed, granting 1 week to the State authorities and 2 weeks to the UPSC to implicit the process. However, the substance was delayed further aft the Empanelment Committee Meeting was postponed twice.
Eventually, astatine the ECM held connected March 26, 2026, the UPSC finalised a sheet comprising Rajeev Kumar, Sandeep Rai Rathore, and Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal. From among the 3 officers, the Tamil Nadu authorities chose Dr. Aggarwal to pb the State constabulary force.
