New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday overlooked highly decorated police officer Kiran Bedi to name a junior IPS officer, Yudhvir Singh Dadwal, as the new Police Commissioner of Delhi, inviting sharp reaction from the country's first woman IPS officer.
“Merit has been compromised in this appointment," Kiran Bedi alleged: "This decision will send out a very wrong message for women."
Dadwal, a 1974-batch Indian Police Service officer, will to replace incumbent commissioner Krishan Kant Paul, who has been moved to the Union Public Service Commission as a member.
The President has, meanwhile, given his approval to Paul's appointment to the UPSC. Paul was Delhi's longest serving police commissioner.
Bedi said she is upset that the ministry decided not to select a woman for the post. "Both my seniority and my record have been given a go by to accommodate him for reasons best known to them,” Bedi said.
“I didn’t do any lobbying and this is why the decision went against me,” Bedi claimed, adding that “Seniority and merit have been given a go by in the appointment.”
The decorated IPS officer said all options, including legal options, are open before her. “I am applying for three months’ leave,” she said.
The Union Home Ministry cleared Dadwal's name on Wednesday and he is likely to take charge on Thursday.
"Dadwal's name has been cleared by the ministry for the post of Delhi Police Commissioner and formal orders have been dispatched to all departments concerned," a Home Ministry spokesman said.
Dadwal is currently holding the position of Special Commissioner in Delhi Police.
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The name of Dadwal, who comes from the UT cadre, had been sent to the Prime Minister's Office along with Kiran Bedi last week. Bedi, a 1972-batch IPS officer of the same cadre, is now Director General of BPR&D.
Till last week, the political circles were abuzz with the news that Bedi was being sidelined by the political bigwigs. In an opinion poll conducted recently by a TV channel, over 84 per cent of Delhiites had voted in favour of a woman police commissioner for the city.
The appointment of Yudbir Singh Dadwal further confirmed rumours that Bedi was not the preferred choice for the post within the Home Ministry despite her eligibility for the job. Reportedly, there was a strong lobby of bureaucrats within the ministry which was against Bedi's appointment for they found her to be too 'outspoken and radical'.
Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat confirmed Dadwal's appointment. "We have received a letter from the Home Ministry about his (Dadwal's) appointment. He is slated to take charge soon," Bhagat said.
According to official sources, Dadwal was selected over Bedi as he is said to be familiar with every police station and all station house officers (SHOs) in the city. Dadwal, a postgraduate in History, will be the 16th police commissioner since 1978, when Delhi Police started a new ranking system.
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