Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday appointed 1984-batch IPS officer N Sambasiva Rao as the state police chief despite the Union Home Ministry rejecting his candidature on earlier occasions.

The MHA had twice rejected the list of names forwarded by the state for the post of DGP saying it was "in contravention of the Supreme Court orders in the Prakash Singh case". Rao has been holding the DGP's post as "full additional charge" since July 23, 2016, while his actual position was DGP (Coordination). He is due to retire on December 31. As a regular DGP, he could continue in the post for a full two-year term as per a state law.

The MHA had rejected the first list sent by the state government on October 23 and on November 2 wrote to the state asking it to prepare a panel afresh. The list contained names of seven DGP-rank IPS officers, including Sambasiva Rao. "It is learnt that after the retirement of J V Ramudu in July 2016, the state government has not appointed full time DGP which is in contravention of the Supreme Court orders in Prakash Singh case.

"Having not found an officer fit for full appointment since July 2016, recommending his name in the panel on the verge of retirement is against the spirit of the Supreme Court judgement," the MHA said in a letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar on November 2. The MHA directed the state to send a list afresh by excluding the names of three IPS officers who were due to retire within a year.

Taking it as an affront, the state government sent back the same list again and the MHA promptly rejected it a second time on November 20, a senior official in the General Administration Department said. Nonetheless, Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar issued a one-line government order this evening "transferring and posting" Sambasiva Rao as the DGP (HoPF) with immediate effect.

The order did not specify whether Rao will hold the post for two years or till December 31. There are currently seven IPS officers in the AP cadre of the rank of Director General of Police. Of them, Varun Sindhu Kul Kaumudi is currently on central deputation to the National Investigation Agency.

Besides Rao, the MHA had objected to the names of S V Ramana Murthy (1982 batch) and M Malakondaiah (1985) as they are due to retire within a year. The other four officers, of 1986 batch, are eligible for the DGP post but the state government apparently chose to ignore them.

Kaumudi is the senior-most of the four and will be in service till the end of November 2022. Ram Prawesh Thakur, who is currently DG of Anti-Corruption Bureau, has four more years of service while Damodar Gautam Sawang, now Vijayawada police commissioner, will retire in July 2023. Vinay Ranjan Ray, current DG of Prisons, will superannuate in September 2019.

PTI