Rajasthan Withholds NOCs for 5 IPS Officers Seeking Central Deputation; Dinesh MN, Biju George Joseph Among Those Affected
The Rajasthan government has reportedly withheld no-objection certificates (NOCs) for five Indian Police Service (IPS) officers seeking central deputation, citing the need to retain experienced personnel for policing, law-and-order management and senior administrative responsibilities within the state.
Among the officers affected are Dinesh MN and Biju George Joseph, both 1995-batch IPS officers of the Rajasthan cadre who have been empanelled for senior positions at the Centre. Dinesh MN currently serves as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) overseeing the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF). Biju George Joseph, a former Jaipur Police Commissioner, is serving as ADGP (Personnel).
According to media reports, the state government is examining requests for central deputation on a case-by-case basis. The administration may consider releasing an officer if the Union Government makes a specific request, but it is reportedly reluctant to allow additional officers to leave Rajasthan amid staffing constraints.
The reported decision highlights the competing personnel requirements of state police forces and central agencies, both of which depend on experienced IPS officers for operational leadership, investigations and administrative functions.
Dinesh MN and Biju George Joseph Among Five Officers Denied NOCs
Dinesh MN and Biju George Joseph are among the five Rajasthan-cadre IPS officers whose central deputation requests have reportedly not received the state government’s clearance.
Dinesh MN is a 1995-batch IPS officer currently serving as ADGP in charge of the ATS, AGTF and ANTF. His responsibilities place him at the head of specialised police units dealing with counter-terrorism, organised crime and narcotics-related enforcement. He was empanelled for central deputation at the ADGP or equivalent level in February 2025.
Biju George Joseph K, also a 1995-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, is currently serving as ADGP (Personnel). He previously held the post of Jaipur Police Commissioner and has experience in senior policing and personnel administration. His educational qualifications include a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a postgraduate diploma in Cyber Law, Cyber Crime Investigation and Digital Forensics.
Joseph was empanelled for Director General-level positions at the Centre in June 2026. Empanelment makes an officer eligible for consideration for appointments at the relevant level, but it does not automatically result in a central posting.
The reported withholding of NOCs represents a separate administrative hurdle in the deputation process. For both officers, any move to a central organisation would depend on the applicable procedures and decisions of the authorities concerned.
Three Other IPS Officers Named in the Report
The report also identifies three other Rajasthan-cadre IPS officers in district-level and specialised police assignments. Their inclusion brings the total number of officers whose requests are reportedly affected to five.
Dharmendra Singh, a 2014-batch IPS officer, is currently serving as Superintendent of Police (SP), Chittorgarh. His previous assignments include SP of Bhilwara, Dholpur and Sirohi. Sudhir Chaudhary, a 2015-batch IPS officer, is currently posted as SP, Alwar. He has previously served as SP of Jaisalmer and Hanumangarh.
Abhijit Singh, a 2012-batch IPS officer, is serving as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force. His earlier assignments include Superintendent of Police in Banswara and Nagaur.
The three officers have served in district policing or specialised units, while Dinesh MN and Biju George Joseph hold senior ADGP-level responsibilities. The reported decision to withhold their NOCs reflects the state’s stated preference to retain officers across different levels of its police administration. The available report does not provide separate details of the proposed central assignments sought by each of the three other officers.
26 Rajasthan-Cadre IPS Officers Already Serving at the Centre
A key consideration in the reported decision is the number of Rajasthan-cadre IPS officers already serving on central deputation. According to the report, 26 officers from the cadre are currently posted in central organisations.
The accompanying graphic published by Bhaskar English lists the following officers:
Rajesh Nirwan
Rajesh Arya
Vinita Thakur
Vikram Thakur
Satyapriya Singh
Umesh Chandra Dutta
Navjyoti Gogoi
Jose Mohan
Nitin Deep Lakhan
Santosh Chalke
Don K. Joseph
Mamta Rahul
Ananddeep Singh Kapoor
Rahul Borat
Vikas Pathak
Rahul Jain
Preeti Jain
Anil Parash Deshmukh
Jagannath Singla
Vineet Kumar Rathore
Pooja Awana
Adarsh Sindhu
Kiran Kang Sindhu
Jai Yadav
Deepak Yadav
Digvijay Anand
The report puts Rajasthan’s sanctioned IPS cadre strength at 222 posts, with approximately 208 to 214 officers in service at the time of reporting.
These figures indicate a gap between the sanctioned strength and the number of officers reportedly available in the cadre. However, the exact operational impact of central deputations depends on the officers’ ranks, assignments, vacancies and the state’s deployment requirements.
The reported figure of 26 officers serving at the Centre is part of the context in which Rajasthan is considering further requests. The state government appears keen to balance the benefits of central exposure for individual officers against the need to maintain sufficient experienced personnel within Rajasthan.
Why Rajasthan Wants to Retain Senior Police Officers
The reported position of the Rajasthan government centres on the need to maintain adequate staffing for policing and law-and-order responsibilities. Senior IPS officers supervise specialised operations, district-level policing, personnel administration, investigations and coordination across police units. Their availability is particularly important when several departments or specialised forces require experienced leadership at the same time.
The factors cited in the report include the following:
Staffing constraints: Rajasthan is reported to have fewer serving IPS officers than its sanctioned cadre strength.
Senior-level requirements: Experienced officers are needed to supervise police operations and manage administrative responsibilities.
Existing central deputations: The reported presence of 26 Rajasthan-cadre IPS officers in central organisations is a consideration in assessing further requests.
Case-by-case clearances: The state is reportedly examining individual applications in light of its requirements and any specific request from the Union Government.
The report quotes Dheeraj Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary in the Personnel Department, as saying that decisions on central deputation rest with the Chief Minister and that NOCs had not been issued to the officers who applied.
According to the reports, the state may consider a request differently if the Centre specifically seeks an officer’s services. This suggests that the administration is not necessarily treating all deputation requests identically, although the final position would depend on the decision taken in each case.
Rajasthan Has Previously Restricted Deputation Requests
Rajasthan has reportedly adopted a similar approach in the past. In 2019, the Ashok Gehlot-led government was reported to have resisted requests to send IAS officers to the Centre, citing a shortage of senior administrative personnel.
Such disagreements reflect a recurring challenge in the management of the All India Services. State governments need officers to implement policies, maintain law and order and oversee administration, while the Union Government also relies on officers with state-level experience for assignments in central ministries, departments and agencies.
Central deputation can provide officers with exposure to national-level policy and administration. At the same time, a state government may be reluctant to release officers when vacancies or operational requirements make their continued presence necessary. The Rajasthan case illustrates this tension, particularly when officers seeking deputation are already eligible for senior central positions.
What Do the IPS Cadre Rules Say About Central Deputation?
Central deputation allows IPS officers to serve in the Union Government, central police organisations and other eligible bodies for a specified period, subject to the applicable rules and administrative procedures.
Rule 6(1) of the Indian Police Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, provides for deputation to the Central Government or another eligible organisation with the concurrence of the governments concerned. The rule also addresses situations in which the state and central governments disagree, providing for the Central Government to decide the matter and requiring the state government to give effect to that decision.
The provision distinguishes the ordinary process, which requires the relevant concurrence, from the procedure applicable when the two governments disagree. The precise administrative process depends on the nature of the proposed deputation and the instructions applicable to the appointment.
Consequently, the reported withholding of NOCs should be understood as part of the administrative process rather than as proof that the officers are permanently barred from central service. Any further development would depend on the applicable rules and decisions by the competent authorities.
Empanelment Does Not Guarantee a Central Posting
The cases of Dinesh MN and Biju George Joseph underline an important distinction between empanelment and appointment. Empanelment indicates that an officer is eligible for consideration for positions at a specified level. It does not automatically confer a right to a particular post or establish that a deputation will take place.
Dinesh MN’s reported empanelment at the ADGP or equivalent level in February 2025 and Joseph’s empanelment for DG-level positions in June 2026 therefore need to be considered separately from the state government’s decision on their deputation requests.
The reported absence of NOCs means that their proposed moves have not received the state clearance described in the report. Both officers continue to hold senior responsibilities in Rajasthan unless and until a subsequent official order changes their postings. The same principle applies to the other three officers named in the report: their future assignments will depend on the relevant administrative decisions.
What Happens Next?
For now, Rajasthan’s reported position is that experienced IPS officers are needed within the state and that further central deputation requests will be considered in light of staffing requirements and the circumstances of individual cases.
The possibility of a specific request from the Union Government remains relevant to the process described in the report. However, no subsequent clearance or central posting order is established by the information available here.
The outcome will be significant for the five officers seeking deputation and for the wider question of how Rajasthan balances its police staffing requirements with the Centre’s demand for experienced officers.
