Bengaluru, 26 May

A City-based advocate issued a legal notice challenging the appointment of Dr MA Saleem as the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) "In-Charge" of the State, calling it a violation of Supreme Court directives.

Advocate Sudha Katwa, in her notice dated 26 May, alleged that the State government’s order appointing Saleem on 21 May as "In-Charge" DG&IGP flouts key norms set out by the Supreme Court in the "Prakash Singh vs. Union of India (2006)" case. She argued that the apex court had clearly prohibited acting or in-charge appointments, mandating instead a regular appointment through a UPSC-empanelled panel of the three senior most eligible officers.

Katwa claimed the State did not follow due process — no names were sent to the UPSC, no panel was received, and no justification for an ad-hoc appointment was provided. She warned that the move amounted to contempt of court and undermined the principles of transparent, merit-based selection.

The notice demanded immediate withdrawal of the appointment, initiation of a regular selection process, and warns of legal proceedings if the State fails to act within seven days.