Hearing Deferred to Sept 16; Senior IPS Officer Susanta Nath Moves Supreme Court to Implead in Selection Dispute

*Bhubaneswar / New Delhi, 8th September 2026:* The legal battle over the appointment of Odisha's full-time Director General of Police (DGP) has been deferred again. The Supreme Court will now hear the matter on *September 16*, even as the case has taken a new turn with the entry of senior IPS officer Susanta Kumar Nath.

According to reports, Susanta Nath has sought time through his lawyer to present his side in the case. His name was reportedly in the original three-member panel prepared for the DGP post.

The original panel, as per earlier records, included DG-rank officers *Sudhansu Sarangi, R.P. Koche and Susanta Kumar Nath.* The dispute began later when names of other officers were included in the probable list, leading to allegations of violation of norms.

*The Core Issue*

The central question in the case is whether the state government has followed the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the *Prakash Singh case* for DGP selection.

The petitioner, Jayanta Das from Balasore, represented by AOR Mukesh Kumar and Senior Advocate P. Chidambaram, has alleged that instead of senior eligible officers, attempts were made to include some junior-rank officers in the probable list. The state government has denied the allegation.

The Supreme Court has asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) not to finalise the panel of probable candidates for the DGP post until the dispute is adjudicated. As a result, the process for appointment of a permanent DGP in Odisha now depends on the next hearing in the Supreme Court.

After former DGP Y.B. Khurania retired on August 16, senior IPS officer *Vinaytosh Mishra is currently holding charge as interim DGP.*

It is expected that after the hearing on September 16, the direction of the permanent DGP selection process will become more clear, especially with an original empanelled officer now seeking to be heard directly by the apex court.