Tamil Nadu's DMK Faces Flak Over Delay In Naming New Full-Time Police Chief

Tamil Nadu has been without a full-time Director General of Police - the overall head of the state's police force - for nearly two months.

This has been the case since the retirement of Shankar Jiwal on August 31, and the delay in the appointment has now triggered a political face-off between the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK, with the union government also drawn into the controversy.

AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami has accused the DMK of deliberately delaying the appointment to allow it to name an officer of its choice before the 2026 election.

"The government is trying to appoint a police chief who will act in its political interest," EPS alleged, questioning why the state had not finalised a name from the list of officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission.

The Tamil Nadu government has appointed senior DGP-rank officer G Venkataraman as DGP-in-charge for now.

However, the state has yet to name a new police chief from the list cleared by the UPSC Empanelment Committee.

Responding to the allegations, Law Minister S Regupathy said the delay was due to a pending case in the Supreme Court and accused the central government of attempting to appoint an officer of its choice.

"The Tamil Nadu government's problem in appointing a new DGP is that the union government is trying to impose its choice of officer, ignoring the state's views on law and order," he said.

"Tamil Nadu is fighting to establish federalism and will win this fight," he said. The minister maintained that the state was still awaiting a response from the central government.

Meanwhile, a contempt petition filed by the human rights organisation People's Watch is pending in the Supreme Court. It accuses the state of violating the Prakash Singh judgment that mandates sending a list of eligible officers to the UPSC three months before the incumbent DGP's retirement.

Sources say further delays could disqualify some senior officers currently eligible for consideration. Among those reportedly in the race are senior officers Seema Agarwal, Rajeev Kumar, and Sandeep Rai Rathore.

BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy denied the DMK's charge, saying, "There was no stay by the Supreme Court. The Tamil Nadu government should not have delayed the list. Let them name the officer they claim the central government is backing."

As the stalemate continues, questions remain. Is the tug-of-war truly over federal principles? Or is it a political move to influence who leads Tamil Nadu's police force in the crucial run-up to the 2026 election, as the new DGP appointed now would also head the police force under the new government that takes office then.