Govt issues gazette appointing new SPs in 64 districts ahead of national polls
The appointments saw the withdrawal of 13 SPs and transfers of the 51 others.
The interim government has issued a gazette regarding the appointment of new superintendents of police (SPs) across all 64 districts ahead of the 13th national election.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the notification today (26 November) regarding the appointments, which includes the withdrawal of 13 SPs and transfers of the 51 others.
Earlier on Monday (24 November), postings for the SPs were finalised through a lottery held at the Chief Adviser's Office.
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The decision came following a two-hour meeting held last Saturday (22 November) at the home ministry, where officials discussed policies regarding police appointments and transfers during the election period. In continuation of that discussion, the SPs for all 64 districts were selected through the lottery process.
According to sources, officers who had previously served as SPs were excluded at the initial stage. A "fit list" was then prepared after scrutinising officials from the 25th, 27th, and 28th batches of the police cadre. The final 64 SPs were selected from this list and will be posted to districts gradually.
Sources at the home ministry and Police Headquarters said the 64 districts were categorised into three groups — A, B, and C — based on district-level importance such as size, administrative significance, and geographical considerations. The newly selected SPs were then assigned to districts within these three categories through a second round of lottery.
Sources added that under the new arrangement, the SPs currently posted in 50 districts will remain in service but will be transferred to different districts. Fourteen newly appointed SPs have also been included in the list, while SPs from 14 districts have been withdrawn.
Among the newly appointed officers, four are from the 25th BCS batch and the remaining ten from the 27th batch, sources said.
Home ministry and Police Headquarters officials earlier said that following the chief adviser's instructions, a committee was given the list of eligible officers, and it was decided that district-wise postings would be determined by lottery. This also led to the suspension of joining orders for newly appointed SPs in six districts last week, as they too were included in the lottery system.
Police Headquarters sources further said the next phase will involve appointing officers-in-charge (OCs) to police stations through a similar lottery. Names of honest, competent, and neutral inspectors have already been collected from unit chiefs, and a "fit list" has been prepared. At the same time, initiatives have begun to clear the long-pending promotion backlog of senior officers.
On 22 November, a two-hour meeting at the home ministry discussed policies regarding police recruitment and transfers during the election period. Yesterday's SP selection through the lottery followed those discussions.
A senior Police Headquarters official, requesting anonymity, said the lottery method was introduced to avoid any controversy surrounding election-time policing.
"This will help ensure the deployment of neutral officers at the field level," the official said.
