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The Election Commission of India (ECI) connected Thursday (April 2, 2026) appointed Director-General of Police (DGP) Sandeep Rai Rathore to caput the Tamil Nadu constabulary unit replacing G. Venkatraman, the in-charge DGP/Head of the Police Force (HoPF).
The ECI said the bid would instrumentality contiguous effect and the serviceman transferred retired shall not beryllium posted successful immoderate predetermination related posts till the completion of elections.
The ECI besides appointed Additional Director General of Police Sanjay Kumar, a 1997-batch IPS officer, arsenic the Commissioner of Police, Tambaram. He replaces A. Amalraj.
Abhishek Dixit was posted arsenic Commissioner of Police, Madurai, and R.V. Ramya Bharti posted arsenic Inspector-General of Police, West Zone.
The determination comes days aft Opposition parties demanded the transportation of immoderate IAS and IPS officers successful the State to guarantee escaped and just behaviour of the Assembly election.
The 1992-batch IPS serviceman is the 3rd senior-most DGP successful the authorities aft Seema Agrawal and Rajeev Kumar. He has served arsenic Inspector General of Police, National Disaster Response Force, portion connected deputation with the Government of India.
Mr. Rathore was successful the sheet of 3 officers finalised by the UPSC aft the archetypal ECM held successful Delhi connected September 26, 2025. However, the State did not take immoderate of them to the apical station resulting successful a mates of contempt cases successful the Supreme Court.
While disposing of 1 of the contempt cases, the Supreme Court ordered the process of appointing a regular DGP/HoPF beryllium completed wrong 3 weeks.
It gave the State 1 week to nonstop the connection and UPSC 2 weeks to finalise the database of 3 eligible officers. However, the ECM was deferred owed to administrative reasons, constabulary root said.
However, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) postponed the Empanelment Committee Meeting scheduled connected March 20, 2026, to shortlist the names of 3 DGP candidates acceptable for assignment arsenic DGP/HoPF of Tamil Nadu police.
While the ECI appoints a DGP, Elections, to instrumentality complaint of each poll-related responsibilities, Mr Rathore was posted arsenic DGP since determination is simply a nary regular HoPF successful the State.
Mr. Rathore is simply a autochthonal of Delhi and has served successful assorted capacities successful the State and Centre. He was the archetypal Commissioner of the past recently created Avadi Commissionerate and aboriginal became the Commissioner of Police, Chennai. He is presently the DGP, Tamil Nadu Police Academy.
Police sources said posting Mr. Rathore arsenic DGP/HoPF shall beryllium effectual till the process of predetermination is completed successful Tamil Nadu. After that the State Government would person to name a regular constabulary main with a fixed two-year tenure arsenic the apex tribunal guidelines successful the Prakash Singh case.
