The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on Thursday the Centre’s plea seeking contempt proceedings against the Jharkhand government and others over the appointment of senior IPS officer Tadasha Mishra as the state’s Director General of Police a day before her retirement.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana agreed to list the Centre’s plea along with other petitions concerning Mishra’s appointment.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, requested that the contempt plea be taken up with the pending matters challenging the appointment. The Chief Justice said the plea would also be listed for hearing on Thursday.
Challenge Over Residual Service Requirement
Mishra was appointed Jharkhand DGP on December 30, 2025, one day before her retirement.
Senior advocate Raju Ramchandran, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in matters concerning DGP appointments, had earlier told the bench that the appointment violated the Supreme Court’s requirement that an officer must have at least six months of residual service when taking charge as DGP.
Ramchandran is assisting the court in petitions alleging that various states have failed to follow the procedure laid down by the Supreme Court for appointing Directors General of Police.
The court was told that appointing Mishra 24 hours before her retirement effectively resulted in her receiving a two-year tenure as DGP.
Supreme Court Guidelines On DGP Appointments
Under the Supreme Court’s directions in the Prakash Singh case, an officer must have at least six months of residual service to be considered for appointment as DGP.
The 2006 judgment and subsequent directions also require the state government to select the DGP from among the three senior-most officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of length of service, record and experience in heading the police force.
Once appointed, the selected officer is to have a minimum tenure of two years irrespective of the date of superannuation.
