Chandigarh: SSP Kanwardeep Kaur has become the first woman head of Chandigarh Police to receive a tenure extension, with the Union government approving a one-year continuation of her inter-cadre deputation beyond March 8, 2026.The extension was cleared after the Cabinet’s Appointments Committee (ACC) approved the home ministry’s proposal to retain her for another year.A 2013-batch IPS officer of the Punjab cadre, Kanwardeep Kaur is the second woman to serve as SSP Chandigarh, after Nilambari Vijay Jagdale (2008 batch), who held the post from 2017 to 2020. With the latest approval, Kanwardeep will continue to lead the force for a fourth year—making her the first woman SSP in the city to have her tenure formally extended.The process to extend her tenure has moved through the highest administrative levels at MHA. The proposal for her continuation was recommended by Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, followed by approval from Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. After Punjab govt issued a no-objection certificate (NOC), the file was forwarded to MHA.Appointed on March 9, 2023, Kanwardeep Kaur was initially given a three-year tenure.During her term, the country rolled out three new criminal laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replacing the Indian Penal Code. Chandigarh was among the early adopters, with the police force overhauling investigation procedures and training personnel under her supervision.The Chandigarh Police also handled several major cases during her tenure, including the rape and murder of an MBA student—a case personally monitored by the SSP. The accused, a 38-year-old taxi driver, was arrested on the basis of technical and forensic evidence and was recently convicted, bringing closure to the victim’s family.
