Amaravati: Indian Police Service officer of 1986 batch, D Gautam Sawang was on Tuesday appointed Director General of Police (Head of Police Force) of Andhra Pradesh with immediate effect.

The state government chose Sawang as the regular DGP (HoPF) based on the recommendation made by the Empanelment Committee of Union Public Service Commission, Chief Secretary LV Subramanyam said in an order. Sawang will be in service till July, 2023.

He has been holding charge as state DGP since May 30 when the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government assumed power. On June 26, the state government forwarded a proposal to the UPSC requesting that a panel of officers be prepared for appointment as the state police chief.

The names forwarded by the state government included 1986 batch officers V S K Kaumudi, Ray Vinay Ranjan, Gautam Sawang and 1987 batch officer T A Tripathi.

Kaumudi is currently on Central deputation, serving in the Bureau of Police Research and Development, while Ranjan is scheduled to retire from service at the end of next month.

On August 5, the UPSC sent its recommendation to the state government, based on which Sawang was chosen for the top police post.The government has examined carefully and independently the panel of names recommended by the UPSC, along with the service records, the Chief Secretary said in the order.

The previous N Chandrababu Naidu government did away with the practice of sending a panel of names to the UPSC for selecting the DGP in accordance with the Supreme Court orders.

The TDP regime had amended the law in this regard but the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government chose to honour the apex court judgment in the Prakash Singh case and follow the established practice by sending a panel of names to the UPSC, official sources said.

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