Women power in Maharashtra Police- Govt provides two year tenure to DGP Rashmi Shukla

New Delhi, February 28

The Maharashtra government issued an order providing a two-year tenure for DGP Rashmi Shukla. 

The 1988 batch IPS officer, Rashmi Shukla was appointed as the DGP on January 3 this year, she was set to retire on June 30.

However, with the order issued by the home department, giving reference to Supreme Court orders regarding the duration of the tenure of the state DGP, she will be the state DGP till January 3, 2026.

The order read, “According to the judgment and order referred to by the Supreme Court, the tenure of an officer, irrespective of the date of superannuation, is two years. In this regard, based on the provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act (22 of 1951), taking into consideration the referred judgments and orders and legal opinions of the Supreme Court, it is hereby directed that the tenure of Rashmi Shukla, IPS on the post of Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police, Maharashtra State shall be for two years from the date of appointment.”

Shukla was on central deputation for over three to four years starting her stint as additional DGP Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Centre had then appointed her as the Chief of Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB).

While in the state police, she had served as Pune police commissioner and headed the State Intelligence Department (SID) when the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government was in power.

As soon as the government changed and the Maha Vikas Aghadi party came to power led by Uddhav Thackeray, Shukla was accused of being close to Bharatiya Janta Party. 

The MVA government accused Shukla of tapping phones of their ministers and transferred her to civil defence department of Maharashtra Police. A case was registered by Mumbai Police against her accusing her of phone tapping and misuse of power. 

Three FIRs were registered alleging calls of MVA leaders were intercepted illegally and data from the State Intelligence Department (SID), which Shukla had headed, was leaked to the Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis. Of the three cases, in two, Shukla was named as the accused.

After the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government came to power in Maharashtra, the third case was transferred to the CBI. The CBI filed a closure report in the said case. The first two cases were quashed by the Bombay High Court. 

Shukla is now going to be the DGP of Maharashtra till 2026.