Asthana picked as Delhi Police chief to provide effective policing: Centre

New Delhi, Jan 05: There was a compelling need to have someone like Rakesh Asthana head the Delhi Police force taking into extremely challenging situation in the national capital, the Union Government said in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.

The affidavit was filed in response to a batch of petitions filed in the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as the Delhi Police chief. The Centre maintained that he was picked to provide effective policing on the recent law and order situation which arose in Delhi. He was given both inter-cadre deputation as well as extension of service in public interest, the Centre said.

"It was felt that requisite experience of working and supervising the central investigating agency/para-military force and police force of a large State having diverse political and law and order problem was lacking in the present pool of available officers and hence in public interest, a decision was made by the central government to have an officer who had experience in all the above fields to supervise Delhi Police force," the Centre said in the affidavit.

"Eight police commissioners have been appointed by the Central Government in Delhi since 2006 prior to Asthana's appointment by following the same procedure. There has never been any objection to the appointment of respective commissioners in Delhi Police," the Centre said. The Centre also accused the petitioner NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation of selective exhibition of public interest.

Rakesh Asthana took charge as the Commissioner of Police, Delhi on July 28 2021. His appointment for a year came just four days before his superannuation on July 31. CPIL in its petition alleged several illegalities in the inter-cadre deputation and extension of service.The NGO said that the appointment breached the condition stipulated in the Prakash SIngh case as Asthana did not have a minimum residual tenure of six months.