DGP Rashmi Shukla transferred: Her job hinges on new government

The fate of Rashmi Shukla Maharashtrarsquos first woman Director General of Police DGP and a 1988batch IPS officer hinges on the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections The next government will decide whether she will continue as DGP or retire following the Election Commission of Indiarsquos ECI order for her removal ahead of the upcoming polls ldquoWe have received a letter from the ECI based on which she has been sent on compulsory leave and the names of three eligible officers for the next DGP have been forwarded to the ECIrdquo said Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata SaunikThe new government will make a decision after the elections For now she has been sent on compulsory leave based on the ECIrsquos ordersrdquo Saunik addedAccording to sources Shuklarsquos leave was prompted by multiple complaints from the Opposition led by Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole ldquoThere are no specific details about the grounds for her removal We have only received a letter from the ECI requesting her removal It is possible that the ECI wants the elections to be conducted under a new DGP in response to Opposition complaintsrdquo a senior IAS officer of the Maharashtra government statedRashmi Shukla Maharashtrarsquos first woman DGP File picShukla was accused of being close to the BJP and biased in favour of the ruling party The Congress argued that her continuation as DGP would hinder free and fair elections in Maharashtra which is set to go to the polls on November 20Reacting to the ECrsquos order Patole stated that Shukla is a controversial officer having taken contentious actions in her previous postings that favoured the current ruling regime in the state Allegations such as illegal phone tapping of Opposition leaders and criminal charges filed against her surfaced despite this Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde allegedly extended her term by two years for their benefit Due to doubts about her ability to ensure fair and transparent elections a letter demanding her immediate removal was sent to the EC on September 24 On September 27 when the Chief Election Commissioner visited Maharashtra a Congress delegation met with him to request her removal yet no action was taken Reminders were subsequently sent to the Election Commission on October 31 and November 4 ldquoFinally the EC has removed Rashmi Shukla although after much delayrdquo said Nana Patole In February 2024 the state government granted Shukla a twoyear extension allowing her to remain eligible to serve until January 2026 in line with an Apex Court ruling that states IPS officers appointed as DGPs must receive a minimum twoyear term regardless of their retirement dateSaunik also confirmed the development stating that the additional charge would be given to the seniormost IPS officer in the state Vivek Phansalkar who currently serves as the commissioner of Mumbai police until a fulltime DGP is appointedIn 2009 Maharashtra faced a similar situation when DGP A N Roy was removed following a complaint to the Election Commission The seniormost DGP S Chakravarty was then given charge After the election results the UPA government returned to power and reinstated A N Roy as DG MaharashtraAllegations against ShuklaPatole in his complaint ECI alleged that DGP Rashmi Shuklarsquos term was ldquoillegally extendedrdquo until January 2026 despite her scheduled retirement on June 30 2024 This extension he claims violates the Maharashtra Police Act which mandates a maximum twoyear tenure or retirement ldquowhichever is earlierrdquoNana PatolePatole accused Shukla of ldquoengaging in illegal activitiesrdquo that compromise her impartiality He alleged that she engaged in ldquounauthorised tapping of Opposition leadersrsquo phonesrdquo and misused her position to intimidate political rivals by ldquogenerating false inquiries and baseless casesrdquo Patole further claimed that Shuklarsquos tenure has aligned the State Intelligence Department SID with BJP interests thus creating a biased environment ahead of the state electionsTo ensure a ldquofair free and transparentrdquo election Patole requested that the ECI immediately remove Shukla from both her roles as DGP Maharashtra and DG ACB stating her continued presence ldquocompromises the democratic processrdquoRashmi Shukla controversiesRashmi Shuklarsquos tenure as State Intelligence Department SID commissioner was marked by allegations of unauthorised phone tapping of Opposition leaders including Nana Patole Sanjay Raut and Eknath Khadse Following the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government three FIRs were filed against herAfter the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA coalitionmdashcomprising the Shiv Sena NCP and Congressmdashtook office three FIRs were filed against her in Mumbai and Pune These charges accused her of illegally tapping the phones of Nana Patole NCPrsquos Eknath Khadse and Shiv Senarsquos Sanjay Raut Shukla was named as an accused in two of the casesOne case pertained to the alleged leak of the phonetapping report When the ShindeFadnavis government took power the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI In December last year the Bombay High Court quashed two of the three FIRs filed against her The third case also transferred to the CBI was closed after the court approved the CBIrsquos closure report ultimately allowing Shukla to reassume a key role in the state apparatus Shukla was scheduled to retire in June 2024 but was granted a twoyear extension to serve a fullterm tenure This decision was made in line with the Prakash Singh judgment of the Supreme Court which mandates a twoyear tenure for DGPs to ensure their independence from political pressureWho is Rashmi ShuklaRashmi Shukla a 1988batch IPS officer became Maharashtrarsquos first woman Director General of Police DGP on January 8 succeeding Rajnish Seth Formerly the chief of Sashastra Seema Bal SSB she took over from Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar who was holding additional charge following Sethrsquos retirementIn her distinguished law enforcement career Shukla has held highprofile roles including SP in Nashik Aurangabad Satara and Pune Rural districts and key positions in Mumbai as Deputy Commissioner Additional Commissioner and Joint Commissioner of Police Crime Branch She served as Police Commissioner of both Nagpur and Pune and was Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department from 2016 to 2019 Shuklarsquos central assignments include roles as ADG of CRPF in Jammu amp Kashmir and Hyderabad and Director General of Civil Defence In 2023 she was appointed Director General of Seema Suraksha Bal before assuming her current position as Maharashtrarsquos DGP