SC rejects PIL challenging Odisha DGP’s appointment

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar, Jan 19:

In a major reprieve for Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) KB Singh, the Supreme Court today rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) case challenging his appointment filed by a former parliamentarian from the state.

Hearing the case, a three-member bench of the apex court rejected the PIL filed by Utkal Bharat president and former MP Kharavela Swain.

Swain had filed the PIL opposing appointment of KB Singh as DGP who was embroiled in the Prakash Mishra controversy.

Earlier in July last year, Swain had filed the petition with the Khurda district court alleging that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had directed the vigilance department to file a “false” case of corruption against Mishra with mala fide intent of scuttling his chances of being elevated to the post of the CBI director.

It may be recalled that the former Vigilance Director KB Singh was castigated by the Orissa High Court as well as the Supreme Court over Prakash Mishra case for falsely implicating him in a graft case.

Notably, Mishra was in the race for the next CBI Director when the vigilance department registered a case against Mishra in September 2014 alleging that he had committed some financial irregularities during his tenure as the chairman-cum-managing director of the Orissa Police Housing and Welfare Corporation in 2009.

Though Mishra came out clean in the cases against him, he was later appointed as the CRPF DG.

Singh was appointed as DGP replacing Sanjeev Marik who was sent on leave.