Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, a senior IPS officer, took charge as the police commissioner of Mumbai, on Friday. Jaiswal took over the post of the city’s top cop from Datta Padsalgikar, who became the Director General of Police, Maharashtra after the former DGP retired on the same day.
Jaiswal, 55-year-old 1985 batch IPS, had served in Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and worked for the Centre as an additional secretary to Cabinet Secretariat, before joining as the Police Commissioner of Mumbai. The Indian Express reported that the Maharastra government had previously written to him asking whether he will be interested in returning to Maharastra. In past, the IPS officer had served Mumbai Police as well as the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad. He was also the chief of the Special Investigation Team that probed into Rs 20,000 crore fake stamp paper scam, towards the beginning of the last decade, and also unearthed connections between some top police officials and the scam accused. Jaiswal probed the September 2006 Malegaon blast case while serving as a deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Anti-Terrorism Squad.
IE also reported that Subodh Jaiswal might have a short-term as the Mumbai police commissioner if the state government decides to promote him as the next Director General of Police after Datta Padsalgikar’s retirement in August this year. However, as per a recent Supreme Court judgement, DGPs should get a fixed tenure of two years despite his or her date of retirement, in that case, Jaiswal might not get a promotion.
IPS officer of 1987 batch, Sanjay Barve was another contender for the post of the police commissioner but he was promoted as the managing director of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation only recently. He is also holding the charge of state intelligence department.