Supreme Court to Hear Contempt Petition Over Jharkhand DGP Appointment

The Supreme Court agreed to list a contempt petition brought by the Centre concerning Jharkhand's appointment of Tadasha Mishra as Director General of Police on December 30, 2025, merely a day before her scheduled retirement. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested that the petition be heard together with other pending cases, and the court scheduled the hearing for Thursday before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

The JMM-led state government’s move is said to contravene a Supreme Court directive that a DGP must retain at least six months of service at the time of appointment, a rule stemming from the Prakash Singh judgments. Amicus curiae senior advocate Raju Ramchandran emphasized that the appointment effectively grants Mishra a two-year extension, violating the requirement for a minimum two-year tenure. The case adds to several petitions challenging state compliance with the apex court’s DGP appointment guidelines.