No decision on rank from which to pick Mumbai top cop

MUMBAI: Appointment of the new police commissioner in place of Sanjay Pandey has been delayed since the government is yet to decide if his successor should be of the rank of director general or additional director general.
Pandey, who took over as city police chief on March 1, retires on Thursday. An IPS officer of the 1986 batch, Pandey holds director general rank.
Home minister Dilip Walse Patil said he will meet CM Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday to take a decision on the new commissioner of police.
An official said that in view of the fluid political situation, the CM might not take a decision on the new commissioner and Pandey would be asked to hand over charge to the seniormost joint commissioner of police, either Vishwas Nagare Patil or Rajvardhan.
If the government decides to appoint Pandey's successor from the rank of director general, then former Thane police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, who heads the Police Housing and Welfare Corporation, appears to be the front-runner. From the 1989 batch, Phansalkar retires in March 2025. In seniority, Pandey is followed by Hemant Nagrale, who was commissioner but was abruptly shifted to the state security corporation, Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, Sanjay Kumar, Rashmi Shukla, who is on central deputation, and Rajneesh Seth, who has already been appointed director general of police.
If the CM decides to downgrade the post to the rank of additional director general, then Thane commissioner Jaijeet Singh and Meera-Bhayander commissioner Sadanand Date are the front-runners.
The home department will also recruit constables to fill 7,231 vacant posts. A GR says candidates will have to undergo 50 marks physical test. Those who clear the fitness test will appear for the written test.