Jaipur: In a serious decision-making gap on the part of the state govt, Rajasthan’s police force finds itself rudderless as Acting DGP Ravi Prakash Meharda retired Monday, leaving the state’s top law enforcement position vacant for over 20 days and counting.Rajeev Kumar Sharma, a 1990-batch IPS officer currently heading the Bureau of Police Research and Development in New Delhi, is understood to be the frontrunner for the DGP position. However, no formal announcement was made until the time of going to press.This marks only the third instance in Rajasthan’s history where the appointment of a full-time DGP has been delayed significantly. Previously, a seven-month vacancy occurred after DGP PC Mishra’s retirement on Jan 1, 1988, until GP Pilania took office on Aug 31, 1988. An earlier gap lasted three months when DGP KD Billimoria retired on June 30, 1955, before BG Kanetkar assumed charge on Sept 3, 1955. The current delay has surpassed 20 days since UR Sahoo’s retirement on June 10. This is one of the longest periods in the state’s history without a full-time police chief, raising serious concerns about administrative efficiency and security preparedness. The vacuum in leadership comes at a time when law enforcement faces mounting challenges, including evolving crime patterns and maintaining law and order in the lead-up to civic elections. The situation has been exacerbated by Meharda’s retirement, which has also left Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) without a chief, creating a dual leadership void in crucial law enforcement bodies. On Monday, farewell ceremonies at both Police Headquarters and ACB marked Meharda’s retirement, leaving both prestigious positions vacant. During his farewell address, Meharda discussed his ACB tenure achievements and advised younger officers about adapting to modern policing challenges in a democratic framework.While the state currently has nine officers of DG rank, three are on central deputation– Rajeev Kumar Sharma, Rajesh Nirwan and Rajesh Arya. The remaining DG rank officers are Sanjay Agarwal, Govind Gupta, Anil Paliwal, Anand Srivastava, Ashok Rathore and Malini Agarwal.Critics argue that this leadership vacuum could compromise the state’s security apparatus and hamper ongoing investigations. The delay in appointment raises questions about the state govt’s decision-making process.
