Centre Approves Re-Employment Of Arun Kumar Sinha As DG (SPG)

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday, Arun Kumar Sinha (a 1987 batch IPS officer) was re-employed as Director, SPG for one year.

The SPG is an elite force, specifically raised for the protection of the country’s Prime Minister. ( Image Source :Representational Image/Getty )

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the proposal for re-employment of Arun Kumar Sinha on contract basis as Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG). According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday, Arun Kumar Sinha (a 1987 batch IPS officer) was re-employed as Director, SPG for one year. The SPG is an elite force, specifically raised for the protection of the country’s Prime Minister, former PMs and their immediate family. The force is currently 3,000 strong and it was started in 1985 in the wake of the killing of PM Indira Gandhi in 1984.

"This was done according to rules. An IPS can only be given an extension for six months and if one needs to be given an extension beyond that, then the SPG rules need to be amended. So to bypass that Mr Sinha was re-employed on a contractual basis," a senior home ministry official said.

"The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re-employment of Mr Sinha on a contract basis for a period of one year beyond the date of his superannuation (May 31) or until further orders, whichever is earlier," stated the DoPT order.

In 2022, the ACC had cleared an extension in temporary upgradation for Sinha as DG (SPG) till May 31, 2023.

Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a notification, setting a new set of rules issued under the Special Protection Group Act, 1988 (34 of 1988). According to the notification, the officers of All India Services will be appointed to the SPG on deputation by the Central government on the same terms and conditions as applicable to the officers of the corresponding ranks in the Central government.

Sinha, a 1987 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, has been working as the chief of the SPG since March 2016.