Rakesh Asthana's appointment as Delhi CP is in the public interest: Center

The government had appointed Asthana as police commissioner just before his retirement

Asthana's appointment as Delhi Police Commissioner was challenged in the High Court by a public interest litigation.

New Delhi: The Center has told the Delhi High Court that in the public interest, Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana has been appointed as Delhi Police Commissioner (CP).

The appointment has been made in view of the challenge of different types of law and order situation in a metropolis like Delhi, the capital of the country, as the law and order situation in Delhi is likely to affect national security as well as international security.

Defending Rakesh Asthana's appointment, the Center in its affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court said that the government was compelled to appoint an officer as the Chief of Delhi Police who is the head of a very large state police force with diverse political and public arrangements and has a very large police force. Extensive experience as Chief, in addition to supervising work in paramilitary and central investigative agencies. As the capital of the country, Delhi has to face a variety of law and order situations that can be described as extremely challenging.

This could have an impact not only on national security but also on international security, "the affidavit filed by the Union Home Secretary said. In the affidavit filed by Union counsel Amit Mahajan, the government further said that there was no error in the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner.

As all sorts of rules were strictly followed in his appointment. Rakesh Asthana was due to retire on July 31, but the government had appointed him as Delhi's police commissioner just days before Satem's retirement, so an NGO challenged Asthana's appointment through a public interest litigation.