Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta, a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, finds himself at the center of a growing dispute between the Central and State Governments—a conflict that has now led to his May salary being withheld.
At the heart of the controversy lies a disagreement over the official date of his retirement. While the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has declared that his tenure ended on April 30, 2025, the Jharkhand Government continues to retain him in office, citing provisions under which it claims the extension is valid.
No Salary Bill Submitted, Treasury Unresponsive
Sources confirm that the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) at the DGP’s office has not submitted the May salary bill to the Project Bhawan Treasury. As a result, no payment has been processed. Meanwhile, the Principal Accountant General’s office has updated Gupta’s records to reflect the end of his service on April 30, showing no salary slip generated from May 1 onward.
This development has raised serious questions about administrative coordination, legal clarity, and the status of a senior-most police officer functioning without remuneration.
Centre vs State: A Legal and Constitutional Clash
The dispute began with an official letter from the Union Home Ministry dated April 22, addressed to the Jharkhand Chief Secretary, directing the state to relieve Anurag Gupta by April 30, 2025, marking his retirement as per service rules.
However, the Jharkhand Government has resisted the directive, arguing that it possesses legal grounds to continue his service. Since then, the Centre and State have engaged in an exchange of official communications, with no resolution in sight.
In its third communication, the Centre has escalated the matter, terming Gupta’s continued tenure as “unconstitutional” and a violation of Supreme Court guidelines governing police appointments. It has accused the state of breaching national civil service regulations by allowing an extension that lacks legal backing.
Beyond Salary: A Broader Constitutional Face-Off
This episode is no longer just a matter of an unpaid salary—it reflects a larger institutional conflict between state autonomy and central authority over All India Services like the IPS.
For DGP Anurag Gupta, the financial impact is only a symptom of deeper legal and constitutional uncertainty. His case now stands as a rare instance of a state’s top police officer continuing in office without pay, amid unresolved questions about service tenure, procedural legality, and federal governance.
