Chandigarh, Jan 1: Ajay Singhal, a 1992-batch Indian Police Service officer, assumed charge as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana on Thursday, a day after the state government appointed him to head the police force.
Singhal was selected from a panel of three senior IPS officers finalised by the Union Public Service Commission after the Haryana government submitted five eligible names under the revised 2023 guidelines. The panel also included 1990-batch officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapur and 1993-batch officer Alok Mittal.
Before his appointment, Singhal was serving as Director General of the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble Chief Minister for showing faith in me and entrusting me with this important responsibility,” Singhal said after taking charge.
The appointment comes amid a transition at the top of the state police leadership. Kapur, who had completed two years as DGP, proceeded on leave after being named as an accused in a case related to the alleged abetment of suicide of IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar. O.P. Singh was subsequently given charge but retired on Dec. 31.
Following this, the Haryana government forwarded a fresh panel of five IPS officers holding the DGP rank at Level-16 of the pay matrix and having at least six months of residual service, as mandated by norms.
Under the Supreme Court’s 2006 Prakash Singh judgment, the state DGP must be selected from among three UPSC-empanelled senior officers and is entitled to a minimum tenure of two years, irrespective of the date of superannuation. Singhal is due to retire on Oct. 31, 2028, and will serve a minimum two-year term from the date he assumed office.
A native of Rewari district, Singhal holds a mechanical engineering degree from IIT Delhi. He has served in key postings including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Railway Police, Commando Wing, Criminal Investigation Department and the Haryana Human Rights Commission.
He was awarded the Police Medal in 2008 and the President’s Police Medal in 2017.
