Nepal Police will get a new leadership after 10 days. The government has decided to pick the Inspector General of Police (IGP) from among Additional Inspector Generals (AIGs) of Police who will be promoted immediately after maintaining the 30-year service period.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who also holds the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has sent a file to the Ministry of Finance asking for an opinion for amending the police regulations.
Now, Prachanda is also looking after the Ministry of Finance. Since there is no possibility of government expansion for a few more days, there is little chance of appointing a new minister to the Finance Ministry and Home Ministry immediately. The incumbent IGP, Dhiraj Pratap Singh, is set to retire on March 25 due to the provision of a 30-year service limit.
"Now, we have proposed to amend the law with provisions of 30 years. The bill has now gone to the Finance Ministry for review. After coming from there with an appraisal, we will send it to the Law Ministry. And it is submitted to the Parliament," said Home Secretary Binod Prakash Singh.
Earlier, the government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba had prepared to remove the provision of 30-year service limit through an ordinance. It was approved by the Ministry of Finance with an opinion. But the proposal did not proceed after the government changed before introducing the ordinance. It was then withdrawn from the Law Ministry.
"We have proposed to advance the Federal Police Act this time. The Supreme Court has issued directives to bring such things into law. It is necessary to enact the law," Home Secretary Singh said, "That's why the Ministry has proposed this. As a departmental minister, the Prime Minister has corrected and sent the file to the Ministry of Finance. The law will not come in 8 to 10 days."
Home Secretary Singh said that since the Supreme Court has issued directives, it is not in a position to go by the regulations. The full bench of the Supreme Court had ordered the government to clearly arrange service facilities, promotions, and time periods in the law.
The parliament is currently working to bring the ordinance. Therefore, there is a little chance of bypassing the parliament.
It is necessary to bring a system to remove the provision of 30 years, but it will take some time," said Home Secretary Singh.
IGP Singh in a last ditch effort
With only nine days left to retire, IGP Dhiraj Pratap Singh is making a last ditch effort to remove 30 years. Singh is rendering efforts to remove this provision. In the current situation, IGP Singh will go on compulsory retirement on March 25.
Due to the 30-year provision in the Nepal Police, Singh is retiring before completing even one year as IGP. The tenure of the IGP is four years. There is a provision for mandatory retirement according to the age limit and term of office, whichever comes first. Of them, 30 years of service will come first, so Singh is going to retire on March 25.
IGP Singh is trying to remove the 30-year term even though the regulations have been amended after the Parliament found it impossible to implement this provision during his tenure.
A senior police officer of the police headquarters said that IGP Singh is hopeful that the 30-year period would be removed even if it is at the last minute.
The attempt to remove 30 years is not only today's issue. It has been going on for last 10 to 15 years. "This system must be removed. The 30-year service limit has been removed in civil service. Not only in the Nepali Army, it has been removed even in the national investigation department, too. It exists only in the Armed Police and our Nepal Police," said the officer, "The life expectancy of people is also increasing, and why not make the age limit in the police 58?"
He said that efforts are being made to bring it through regulations rather than through parliament. If the 30-year service limit is not removed by March 24, the new IGP will be picked from among the five individuals who are going to become AIG.
Basant Kunwar is the main contender for IGP
Along with IGP Dhiraj Pratap Singh, the three incumbent AIGs Sahakul Thapa, Uttamraj Subedi and Divesh Lohani will retire due to 30 years of service.
The government has recommended promotion for five vacant posts of AIGs. Apart from the three DIGs of IGP Singh's batch, the promotion committee has recommended all five people from the last batch for AIGs. The recommendation was made on Friday. A week has been given to lodge complaints against the recommendation and then the government will take a decision.
Basant Kunwar is recommended number one for AIG. He was also promoted to the first rank in DIG. Hence, there is a strong possibility that Kunwar will become the IGP.
The IGP will be appointed within a week of becoming the AIG. Tekprasad Rai is second contender after Kunwar. If they try to replace Kunwar as IGP, it will be Rai who has been number two ever since he was SSP.
Sandeep Bhandari, who was ahead of him in the SSP, fell behind in the DIG promotion, but he was not promoted. If not Kunwar, Rai will be IGP.
However, the government has not always made the IGP according to the ranking. The current IGP Dhiraj Pratap Singh was also made IGP from the last rank. If this is the case, there is a possibility that Deepak Thapa will also become IGP. He is close to Prime Minister Prachanda. But he joined the Nepal Police six months later than Kunwar and Rai.
