Six JKPS Officers Expected to Be Approved for DIG-Equivalent Positions

High-level committee to convene next week

*Two positions of IGP-equivalent will be filled at a later date

Sanjeev Pargal

JAMMU, Dec 21: In a positive development for the Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) officers, six of them are expected to be appointed to DIG-equivalent positions next week, as their names are likely to receive approval under the newly issued Jammu and Kashmir Police Gazetted Services Rules by a high-level committee.

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Among the six JKPS officers anticipated to be approved for the DIG-equivalent positions, two are currently leading districts—one in each Jammu and Kashmir division.
A high-level committee chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Home Secretary Chandraker Bharti, Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat, and Law Secretary Achal Sethi is expected to review the proposal regarding the promotion and appointment of six JKPS officers based on seniority to DIG-equivalent posts.
The Government has previously identified six such posts following an extensive assessment conducted over the years. Additionally, two IGP-equivalent positions have been earmarked for subsequent filling by two senior JKPS officers.
Official sources informed the Excelsior that six officers from the 1999 batch of JKPS have been earmarked for promotion to DIG-equivalent roles.
The committee will make a final decision after reviewing the complete records of the officers.
The Home Department has identified two Commissioner positions at the IGP level and six Director roles, including Special Directors and Additional Directors equivalent to DIG for which JKPS officers will now be eligible, even without their induction into the IPS.
It’s important to note that the JKPS officers promoted by the committee will not hold the titles of IGPs and DIGs but will be designated as Commissioners and Directors, according to officials.
After the promotion of six JKPS officers currently serving as SSPs to DIG-equivalent status, some may be promoted to SSP roles, as several SSP positions are already vacant.
“Initially, the high-level committee may only approve the promotion of six JKPS officers to DIG-equivalent roles, while two IGP-equivalent posts are expected to be filled later,” they added.
According to regulations, only IPS officers can be assigned roles as DIG and higher. However, recent rules issued by the Home Department of the J&K Government allow for the appointment of six JKPS officers to DIG-equivalent posts, followed by two to IGP-equivalent roles.
The two posts identified for JKPS officers at the IGP equivalent rank include Commissioner of Civil-Military Liaison and Commissioner of Investigations Human Rights, while the six DIG-equivalent roles include Special Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Director of Civil Defence and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Kashmir, Director of Home Guards in Jammu, Director of Home Guards in Kashmir, Additional Director of the State Investigation Agency (SIA), and Director of the Commando Training Centre (CTC) at Lethpora.
The eligibility criteria for JKPS officers for Director positions is 18 years, while 22 years of service is required for Commissioner positions.
As per current regulations, only IPS officers can serve as DIGs and above. Several JKPS officers in Jammu and Kashmir retired as SSPs since they could not be inducted into the IPS for various reasons.
From 2011 to 2021, no JKPS officer was inducted into the IPS due to legal disputes and other challenges. However, over the past three years, nearly 44 JKPS officers were successfully inducted into the IPS as the UT Government and other relevant departments actively pursued this matter with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Nonetheless, these inductions have not sufficed, and many JKPS officers have remained in SSP positions for an extended period without the opportunity to become DIGs unless they are inducted into IPS.