Chandigarh: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that appears to circumvent the role of the Union Public Service Commission in selecting the state police chief.
According to the amendment bill, a state-appointed committee will come up with a panel of three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to be considered for the post of the Director General of Police. The state government will then pick one of them.
According to the current practice, however, the states send the name of all eligible officers to the Centre’s UPSC. The UPSC then picks three officers, from which the state government chooses one.
The Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 substitutes a provision in the Punjab Police Act, 2007 while laying down the procedure for selection of the head of the police force in state.
The Bill was passed without any opposition in the Aam Aadmi Party-dominated House. The main opposition Congress had walked out earlier in the day and the BJP had boycotted the two-day special session.
The Bill becomes law only after the Governor’s assent.
Earlier Tuesday, the Assembly passed a Bill that replaces the Governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of all state universities.
