Jaipur: Rajasthan is likely to get a new Director General of Police (DGP) starting July 1, with the selection process already in motion. Until June 30, Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General Ravi Prakash Meharda will continue as acting DGP. The state govt has forwarded the names of senior IPS officers who have completed 30 years in service to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), all of who have more than six months left in service and are listed in the DGP cadre seniority list. The UPSC will convene a meeting to shortlist three names from the panel and send its recommendation to the state govt. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma will then select one officer from the three for the top post. Among the names sent by Rajasthan govt to UPSC are 1990 batch officer Rajeev Kumar Sharma, Sanjay Kumar Agarwal of the 1992 batch, and Anand Kumar Srivastava of the 1994 batch, who have each completed 30 years in service. Rajeev Kumar Sharma is currently serving as the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) in Delhi, to which he was deputed in April last year. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, the most senior IPS officer currently serving within Rajasthan, is also being considered as the likely choice to assume interim charge if the final selection process stretches beyond July 1. Anand Kumar Srivastava is also among the experienced names forwarded for consideration.The Dept of Personnel also secured consent from 1990 batch officer Rajeev Sharma, Rajesh Nirwan of the 1992 batch, and Rajesh Arya (1994), to include their names in the list submitted to UPSC. Rajesh Nirwan returned to Rajasthan in Feb last year, but was soon transferred back to Delhi. Rajesh Arya has been on central deputation since 2017 and is currently serving serving as chairman of the National Technical Research Organisation. The final decision now hinges on the UPSC meeting and chief inister Bahajan Lal Sharma.
