The Maharashtra government issued an order reinstating IPS officer Rashmi Shukla as the Director General of Police (DGP)on Monday, after the conclusion of the assembly elections.
After DGP Shukla was removed from her position following the Election Commission of India's directive ahead of the elections, Sanjay Kumar Verma was appointed as her replacement. Meanwhile, the congress has demanded her transfer.
Mr Verma, a senior Indian Police Service officer, was appointed to the top post until the completion of the election process, while Shukla was placed on compulsory leave for the same period. With the conclusion of the electoral process and the announcement of the election results, the Model Code of Conduct ended on Monday, according to the home department's order.
As a result, the government has terminated DGP Shukla's compulsory leave, and she has been instructed to resume her duties as DGP, the order stated. The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition secured a decisive victory, retaining power with a large majority in the assembly elections.
Shukla was directed by the government to go on leave after receiving orders from the Election Commission of India (ECI). This came after a complaint from the opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) before the state assembly elections. Both parties claimed that the election would not be fair with Shukla working as DGP, accusing her of ordering the phone tapping of opposition leaders when she was in charge of the state intelligence department.
The last time such an action was taken was during the 2009 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, when the state's Director General of Police (DGP), A. N. Roy, was instructed to step aside from overseeing election-related matters. This decision was made after Roy faced accusations of bias towards certain political parties, raising concerns about his impartiality.