The ambiguity over the selection of new Director General of Police for Andhra Pradesh has finally ended as the state government named 1992 batch officer Harish Kumar Gupta as the successor of incumbent Dwaraka Tirumala Rao who is set to retire from service on superannuation this month end.

Harish Kumar Gupta, who is currently heading the Vigilance and Enforcement department as DG, is a native of Jammu and Kashmir. He previously worked as DGP of AP for a brief period during the general elections when KV Rajendranath Reddy was transferred by the Election Commission of India due to irregularities in discharge of his duties when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state.

After Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh following the 2024 elections, Dwaraka Tirumala Rao was named as the DGP of the state. The government has ignored several seniors like Madireddy Pratap, PSR Anjaneyulu and KV Rajendranath Reddy due to their affiliations to YSR Congress party and selected Dwarka Tirumala Rao for the apex police post.

Recently, a PIL was filed against the government for not following the due procedure in the selection of DGP. The petitioner argued that the Supreme Court directives in Prakash Singh case were not being adhered to by the state government. It should send a panel of eligible officers to UPSC three months prior to the completion of the tenure of the incumbent DGP. The DGP should be selected from the panel recommended by the UPSC.

Earlier today, the High Court has dismissed this petition, allowing the state government to go ahead with its decision to appoint Harish Kumar Gupta as the next DGP. Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand passed the orders today evening. Harish Kumar Gupta will have 7 months tenure in the top post. He worked as Superintendent of Police for several districts in the united Andhra Pradesh and held several other posts in the police department.