The Madras High Court on 11 September 2025 dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that challenged the appointment of senior IPS officer G. Venkatraman as the in-charge Director General of Police/Head of Police Force (DGP/HoPF) of Tamil Nadu.
A First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan ruled that an ad hoc arrangement was necessary to ensure the continuity of police administration until a regular DGP is appointed. The court emphasized that such temporary appointments cannot be legally contested when made to fulfil essential administrative functions.
The Bench also noted that the Supreme Court had already issued directions on September 8 regarding the regular appointment of a DGP, rendering the challenge to the temporary arrangement “completely baseless.”
The PIL was filed by R. Varadaraj, a former Inspector of Police turned advocate and current president of the Nethaji Makkal Katchi, who claimed to be actively involved in issues related to policing and governance. He argued that the state government had delayed the process of selecting a regular DGP despite the availability of several eligible officers.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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