SC upholds AIG Rana's promotion

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court today upheld the promotion of Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police Kuber Singh Rana after 13 months of the Cabinet decision to promote him.

A division bench of Justices Kalyan Shrestha and Tarka Raj Bhatta issued the verdict stating that writ petitioners could not establish their claim against the promotion of Rana and there was no ground to nix his promotion as nobody had challenged his promotion to SSP and DIG.

This verdict is significant as he is in line to assume the post of Inspector General of Nepal Police after the retirement of IG Rabindra Pratap Shah.

The government had promoted Rana to the post of AIG on 22 June 2011 and appointed him the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. On June 27, advocates Sunil Ranjan Singh and Dipendra Jha had moved SC challenging government decision to promote Rana, an accused in the alleged killing of five youth in Dhanusha in October 2003 on the suspicion that they were Maoists.

On 29 January 2008, the National Human Rights Commission had recommended action against Rana, then SSP Chuda Bahadur Shrestha, Army Major Anup Adhikary, deployed at the Dharapani-based barracks in Dhanusha, and CDO Rewati Raman Kafle, in connection with the ‘killing’.

The apex court, however, directed the authorities — Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Home, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction and the Ministry the Police Headquarters — to formulate an Act to bar human rights violators from holding public posts.

The bench also directed the government to strictly implement constitutional provision to seek advice from the Public Service Commission before promotion and transfer of any official of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepali Army and public servant as required by Article 126 of the Interim Constitution.

With the SC verdict, Metropolitan Police Commissioner AIG Rana has become the strongest contender in the race of new IG.

Though AIGs Nawa Raj Dhakal and Bhisma Prasai were also considered favourite candidates for the top post earlier, it seems the verdict has cleared the way for Rana to be elevated to the post. The three contenders are from the same batch of 1983. However, Rana was promoted to AIG three months earlier than Dhakal and Prasai.

IG Shah and six AIGs automatically retire on September 14 as per the 30-year service limit. Their retirement will make AIG Rana the senior-most cop in Nepal Police.

IG Shah, who should be going on a month’s leave before retiring, has decided against it, as senior-most AIG Madan Bahadur Khadka also retires along with him. IGs have a tradition to go on leave one month before their retirement.