Mumbai top cop Vivek Phansalkar to take charge as interim Maharashtra DGP

Mumbai top cop Vivek Phansalkar to take additional charge as the interim Maharashtra Director General of Police confirmed officials Phansalkar the seniormost IPS officer in the state will be succeeding Rashmi Shukla who has been transferred a fortnight before the Maharashtra Elections 2024Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik confirming the transfer of DGP Shukla said that the charge will be given to the Mumbai Police Commissioner until the Election Commission finalises the candidate who will be the next DGPThe ECI following a complaint by Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole ordered the transfer of Rashmi Shukla and directed the government to hand over the charge to the next seniormost officer They had sought a list of three seniormost IPS officers by November 5 1 pm of which one would be appointed as DGPAlongside Phansalkar two other senior officers of Maharashtra Cadre whose names have been recommended are DG Legal Technical Sanjay Verma and DG Homeguard Ritesh KumarIn 2009 a similar situation arose when DGP AN Roy had to be removed after a complaint to the Election Commission Following his transfer the seniormost DG S Chakravarty was given the charge After UPA returned to power in the state Roy was reinstated as the Maharashtra DGPNana Patoles plaint against Rashmi ShuklaMaharashtra Congress president Nana Patole in his complaint to the Election Commission of India ECI stated ldquoThe issue pertains to the illegal extension and misuse of power by Smt Rashmi Shukla a 1988batch IPS officer currently holding the position of Director General of Police DGP Maharashtra along with the additional charge of Director General in charge of the AntiCorruption Bureau ACBrdquoldquoRashmi Shukla was due to retire on June 30 2024 upon reaching the age of superannuation as per her date of birth in June 1964 However she has been illegally granted an extension until January 2026 in direct violation of the Maharashtra Police Act which stipulates that the DGP of the state shall have a term of two years or until retirement whichever is earlierrdquoPatole further alleged ldquoIn addition to this unlawful extension Smt Rashmi Shukla has a history of engaging in illegal activities that raise serious concerns about her impartiality and ability to perform her duties with integrity She has been involved in the illegal tapping of opposition leadersrsquo phones without proper authorization misleading competent authorities in the process Despite several cases being registered against her these cases were shelved following the change of government in Maharashtra when the BJP came into powerrdquoHe also accused Shukla of acting as a political campaigner for the BJP saying ldquoDuring her tenure as DGP she has actively misused her position to harass and threaten opposition leaders often generating false inquiries and registering baseless cases against them She has compromised the integrity and nonpartisan nature of her role as a senior police officerrdquoThe complaint letter submitted to the ECI further states ldquoAs the DG in charge of the ACB she has summoned opposition party leaders and members to police stations and ACB offices using her powers to coerce and intimidate them Furthermore she has aligned the State Intelligence Department SID with the interests of the BJP a trend observed during her previous tenure as Commissioner of SID Given these instances of political bias misuse of government machinery and illegal activities it is impossible to ensure a fair and impartial environment for the upcoming elections in Maharashtra while Smt Rashmi Shukla continues to hold power over the state policerdquoldquoIn light of these serious violations of law and protocol I respectfully request the Election Commission of India to take immediate action to remove Smt Rashmi Shukla from both the positions of DGP Maharashtra and DG ACB Her removal is crucial to safeguard the democratic process and ensure that the forthcoming elections are conducted in a fair free and transparent mannerrdquo Patole statedWho is Rashmi Shukla Rashmi Shukla was the first woman DGP of Maharashtra Police she officially assumed her role on January 8 succeeding Rajnish Seth Shukla a 1988 batch IPS officer and former chief of Sashastra Seema Bal SSB was repatriated from SSB to take charge as DGP Maharashtra She took over from Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar who held an additional charge after Seths retirement on December 31 2023Rashmi Shukla a 1988batch IPS officer has held numerous highprofile positions throughout her distinguished career in law enforcement Her major designations include serving as Superintendent of Police SP in Nashik Rural Aurangabad Rural Satara and Pune Rural districts She has also served as Deputy Commissioner of Police in Zones 1 and 5 in Mumbai and later as Additional Commissioner of Police Southern Zone and Joint Commissioner of Police of the Crime Branch in MumbaiShukla became Commissioner of Nagpur Police and later Commissioner of Pune Police in 2016 She has held significant roles such as Additional Director General Traffic Deputy Inspector General Administration and Inspector General Law and Order From 2016 to 2019 she was the Commissioner of the State Intelligence DepartmentFurther she served as Director General of Civil Defence and was empanelled as an Additional Director General ADG by the Union government in 2021 taking the position of ADG of CRPF in the JampK Zone In 2022 she was empanelled as a Director General of Police DGP and posted as ADG of CRPF Hyderabad In 2023 she took charge as Director General of Seema Suraksha Bal and as of January 2024 serves as the Director General of Maharashtra PoliceRashmi Shukla controversiesRashmi Shuklarsquos time as the Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department SID was fraught with controversy centred around allegations of unauthorized phone tapping During her tenure the phones of several prominent political leaders including Nana Patole Sanjay Raut and Eknath Khadse were allegedly intercepted After the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA coalitionmdashcomprising the Shiv Sena NCP and Congressmdashtook office three FIRs were filed against her in Mumbai and Pune These charges accused her of illegally tapping the phones of Congress state chief Nana Patole NCPrsquos Eknath Khadse and Shiv Senarsquos Sanjay RautShukla was named as an accused in two of the cases His One case pertained to the alleged leak of the phonetapping report When the ShindeFadnavis government took power the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation CBIIn December last year the Bombay High Court quashed two of the three FIRs filed against her The third case also transferred to the CBI was closed after the court approved the CBIrsquos closure report ultimately allowing Shukla to reassume a key role in the state apparatus Shukla was scheduled to retire in June 2024 but was granted a twoyear extension to serve a fullterm tenure This decision was made in line with the Prakash Singh judgment of the Supreme Court which mandates a twoyear tenure for DGPs to ensure their independence from political pressure