33 IPS Officers Empanelled as Director General at the Centre | ACC Clears DG-Level Panel
In a significant development in India’s senior police leadership, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the empanelment of 33 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers for appointment to Director General (DG) and DG Equivalent level posts at the Centre. The empanelment covers officers from the 1990, 1991, 1994 and predominantly the 1995 batches representing a diverse range of State cadres and the AGMUT cadre, making them eligible for some of the highest positions in the Government of India.
The empanelment process is a crucial milestone in the career progression of senior All India Service officers. It enables eligible officers to be considered for appointment to Director General and equivalent positions in various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Central Police Organisations (CPOs), investigative agencies, intelligence organisations and other departments under the Government of India. While empanelment does not automatically result in an appointment, it significantly widens the pool of officers available for leadership roles in key national security and policing institutions.
Among the officers empanelled, Shri Sudhansu Sarangi IPS (Odisha: 1990) is the senior-most. Widely recognised for his extensive experience in policing and public administration, his empanelment at the DG level reflects his long and distinguished service in the Indian Police Service.
Also empanelled is Shri Rajeev Krishna IPS (Uttar Pradesh: 1991), whose inclusion further strengthens the panel of experienced officers available for senior Central assignments.
The 1994 batch is represented by Shri Anand Mohan IPS (AGMUT), while the majority of officers belong to the 1995 batch, highlighting a broad-based transition of this batch into the highest leadership tier within the IPS.
The AGMUT cadre has a significant presence on the list with officers including Shri David Lalrinsanga, Shri Devesh Chandra Srivastava, Shri Rajesh Kumar, Shri Satish Shriramaji Khandare, and Shri Shiv Darshan Singh. Their empanelment reflects the cadre’s continued contribution to policing and administration across Union Territories and several strategically important regions.
The Andhra Pradesh cadre is represented by Shri A Y V Krishna and Shri Munna Prasad Gupta, while Bihar has four officers on the empanelment list—Shri Jag Mohan, Shri Pankaj Kumar Darad, Smt. R Malarvizhi, and Shri Sushil Mansing Khopde.
From Himachal Pradesh, Shri Satinder Pal Singh and Shri Venugopal N have been empanelled. Haryana is represented by Shri Sandeep Khirwar, and Jharkhand by Shri Sanjay A. Lathkar. Maharashtra has Shri Naval Bajaj, while Madhya Pradesh is represented by Smt. Meenakshi Sharma and Shri Yogesh Deshmukh.
Odisha has another officer on the list in Shri Padmakar S. Ranipse, while Punjab contributes Shri Amit Prasad and Shri Kapil Dev. Rajasthan is represented by Shri M. N. Dinesh and Shri Biju George Joseph K.
Other officers empanelled include Shri Vineet Vinayak from the Sikkim cadre, Shri Puneet Rastogi from Tripura, Shri Deepam Seth from Uttarakhand, and four officers from Uttar Pradesh—Shri Amrendra Kumar Sengar, Shri Anupam Kulshreshtha, Shri Ashok Kumar Singh, and Shri Vijay Bhatia.
The Director General level is the highest rank in the Indian Police Service and carries responsibility for leading major national institutions responsible for internal security, border management, criminal investigation, intelligence coordination, counter-terrorism, training and police modernisation. Officers at this level are entrusted with shaping national policing strategies, implementing institutional reforms, enhancing technology-driven policing and strengthening coordination among States and Central agencies.
Empanelment for DG-level appointments follows a rigorous evaluation of an officer’s service record, integrity, experience, leadership qualities and suitability for senior assignments at the Centre. The process ensures that only officers with proven administrative capability and operational expertise are considered for these critical positions.
The latest empanelment comes at a time when India’s internal security architecture continues to evolve rapidly in response to emerging challenges such as cybercrime, organised crime, terrorism, border security, financial crimes and technology-enabled policing. Senior IPS officers appointed to Central organisations play a pivotal role in developing policy frameworks, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring effective coordination among multiple agencies.
Over the years, officers empanelled at the DG level have gone on to head organisations such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and several other premier institutions under the Government of India.
The diverse composition of the current empanelment panel also reflects the national character of the Indian Police Service. Officers from large and small States, Union Territory cadres and different policing backgrounds have been included, bringing with them varied operational experiences ranging from law and order management and intelligence to anti-insurgency operations, cyber security, economic offences, prison administration, traffic management and police reforms.
As these officers become eligible for DG-level appointments at the Centre, they will contribute to strengthening India’s policing framework and national security institutions through their leadership and administrative expertise. Their extensive experience acquired over three decades of public service will be instrumental in addressing the increasingly complex security environment while driving modernisation, professional excellence and citizen-centric policing across the country.
The empanelment of these 33 IPS officers marks another important milestone in the career progression of senior police leadership and provides the Government of India with a strong pool of experienced officers for future appointments to key national positions. It also reflects the continued emphasis on leadership continuity, institutional excellence and effective governance within India’s policing system.
The 33 IPS officers empanelled as Director General (DG) at the Centre are:
- Sudhansu Sarangi (Odisha, 1990)
- Rajeev Krishna (Uttar Pradesh, 1991)
- Anand Mohan (AGMUT, 1994)
- David Lalrinsanga (AGMUT, 1995)
- Devesh Chandra Srivastava (AGMUT, 1995)
- Rajesh Kumar (AGMUT, 1995)
- Satish Shriramaji Khandare (AGMUT, 1995)
- Shiv Darshan Singh (AGMUT, 1995)
- A Y V Krishna (Andhra Pradesh, 1995)
- Munna Prasad Gupta (Andhra Pradesh, 1995)
- Jag Mohan (Bihar, 1995)
- Pankaj Kumar Darad (Bihar, 1995)
- R Malarvizhi (Bihar, 1995)
- Sushil Mansing Khopde (Bihar, 1995)
- Satinder Pal Singh (Himachal Pradesh, 1995)
- Venugopal N (Himachal Pradesh, 1995)
- Sandeep Khirwar (Haryana, 1995)
- Sanjay A. Lathkar (Jharkhand, 1995)
- Naval Bajaj (Maharashtra, 1995)
- Meenakshi Sharma (Madhya Pradesh, 1995)
- Yogesh Deshmukh (Madhya Pradesh, 1995)
- Padmakar S. Ranipse (Odisha, 1995)
- Amit Prasad (Punjab, 1995)
- Kapil Dev (Punjab, 1995)
- M. N. Dinesh (Rajasthan, 1995)
- Vineet Vinayak (Sikkim, 1995)
- Puneet Rastogi (Tripura, 1995)
- Deepam Seth (Uttarakhand, 1995)
- Amrendra Kumar Sengar (Uttar Pradesh, 1995)
- Anupam Kulshreshtha (Uttar Pradesh, 1995)
- Ashok Kumar Singh (Uttar Pradesh, 1995)
- Vijay Bhatia (Uttar Pradesh, 1995)
- Biju George Joseph K (Rajasthan, 1995)
The empanelment underscores the Government’s continued focus on strengthening leadership at the highest levels of policing and ensuring a robust talent pool for strategic appointments across the Central Government.