Bhubaneswar: Odisha will have a new Director General of Police (DGP) soon with Governor Ganeshi Lal approving the name of DGP RP Sharma as Lokayukta member Tuesday.
The Lokyukta selection panel had recommended Sharma’s name as a member of anti-corruption ombudsman organisation.
“The Governor Tuesday gave his consent for the appointment of R P Sharma as a non-judicial member of the Lokayukta,” a Raj Bhavan said.
Reacting to the development, Sharma said, “There is a process and a notification will be issued in this regard. I will join only after a formal notification is issued. I will put my previous experience as the chief of the vigilance wing of Odisha Police to serve the Lokayukta.”
The Lokayukta become functional in the state from April 8 this year. It is headed by former Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court Ajit Singh.
The five-member constitutional body has two other members – Justice (retd) BK Nayak and former IFS officer Debabrata Swain.
Meanwhile, the Special Police DG (Intelligence), Sunil Roy, an 1987-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, will be in charge of the DGP until appointment of new DG.
According to sources, the state government has sent a list of six senior police officers for the post of DGP to the UPSC committee as directed by the Supreme Court. Apart from Roy, the list comprises BK Sharma (1986 batch), DG Fire Services and Home Guards, incumbent Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty (1988 batch), CB-ADG, Santosh Upadhaya (1988) and two others.