It has been more than three months since Harish Kumar Gupta, a 1992-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the Director General of Police (DGP) for Andhra Pradesh. However, his appointment was only in full additional charge (FAC) and not as a full-time DGP.
He continues to hold the post of Director General, Vigilance and Enforcement, and Ex-Officio Principal Secretary to the Government, in addition to his DGP responsibilities.
As per the rules, the state government must send a list of three senior IPS officers to the Centre, which then selects one of them to be appointed as the full-time DGP. So far, the Centre has not made any decision, and Gupta continues in the role on an interim basis.
According to official sources, there are twelve senior IPS officers currently eligible for the DGP post. Heading the seniority list is Madireddy Pratap from the 1991 batch, followed by Harish Kumar Gupta, P S R Anjaneyulu, K V R N Rajendranath Reddy, and Nalin Prabhat from the 1992 batch, Mahesh Dikshit and Amit Garg from the 1993 batch, and P V Sunil Kumar, Kumar Vishwajeet, Ravishankar Ayyanar, Balasubrahmanyam, and Kripanand Tripathi from the 1994 batch.
Gupta is set to retire on August 2, 2025, and under existing guidelines, he is unlikely to receive an extension. Hence, the Centre may permit him to continue in the role until his retirement.
During the previous regime, former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy did not follow the seniority protocol and directly appointed Rajendranath Reddy as DGP.
However, the current Chandrababu Naidu-led government has chosen to adhere to the rules and plans to send a shortlist of eligible officers to the Centre for approval.
The final decision on the three-member shortlist lies with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is said to be closely reviewing the profiles and service records of the eligible officers.
Sources say Madireddy Pratap is a strong contender, as he is due to retire on July 1, 2026. Despite his earlier proximity to the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy family, he reportedly fell out with Jagan Mohan Reddy, making him a viable choice under the current administration.
A senior official remarked that appointing Pratap would send a strong message about discipline and good governance in the police department.
