Gaurav Yadav Appointed Regular Punjab DGP, Minimum 2-Year Tenure Under SC Guidelines

Chandigarh, October 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

The Punjab Government on Friday appointed 1992-batch IPS officer Gaurav Yadav as the regular Director General of Police (DGP), Head of Police Force (HoPF), bringing to an end an officiating arrangement under which he had headed the Punjab Police for more than four years.

The appointment was made through a formal order issued by the Department of Home Affairs (Home-I Branch) in the name of the Governor of Punjab on October 9, 2026.

The order, signed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Alok Shekhar, records that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had empanelled three IPS officers for appointment as Punjab DGP through its letter dated July 1, 2026.

The three officers were Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan, Harpreet Singh Sidhu and Gaurav Yadav, all belonging to the 1992 IPS batch.

After considering the UPSC panel, the Governor of Punjab appointed Gaurav Yadav as Director General of Police (Head of Police Force), Punjab.

The order also provides that Yadav will have a minimum tenure of two years from the date he assumes charge of the office, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions in the landmark Prakash Singh police reforms case.

UPSC Had Empanelled Three IPS Officers

The appointment order specifically refers to UPSC Letter No. 13/15/2026-AIS, dated July 1, 2026, through which the Commission communicated the names of three officers found suitable for appointment as DGP (HoPF), Punjab.

The panel comprised:

The panel had been prepared from names communicated by the Punjab Government to the UPSC.

The state government was entitled to select one officer from the UPSC-recommended panel, subject to the applicable legal framework.

The government exercised that choice in favour of Gaurav Yadav, who had already been functioning as the state’s police chief since July 2022.

The order states:

“On consideration of the panel received from Union Public Service Commission, the Governor of Punjab is pleased to appoint Shri Gaurav Yadav IPS (RR:1992) as Director General of Police (Head of Police Force), Punjab.”

The appointment is significant because it gives Yadav regular status in the office he had occupied in an officiating capacity for more than four years.

Minimum Two-Year Tenure Under Supreme Court Directions

The third paragraph of the government order expressly invokes the Supreme Court’s judgments and directions dated September 22, 2006, and July 3, 2018, in Prakash Singh & Others versus Union of India & Others, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 310 of 1996.

It states:

“His tenure shall be for a minimum period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the office.”

This provision is among the most consequential aspects of the appointment.

The Supreme Court’s police-reform directions were intended, among other objectives, to provide greater stability to police leadership and reduce arbitrary or frequent changes in the office of state police chief.

The minimum tenure is designed to enable the DGP to function with reasonable continuity while remaining accountable under the law.

The October 9 order does not specify a separate date on which Yadav will formally assume charge under his regular appointment. Consequently, the precise commencement of the two-year tenure must be determined from the applicable assumption-of-charge record.

What Changes With the Regular Appointment?

The immediate significance of the order is administrative and institutional rather than a change in the officer commanding the Punjab Police.

Yadav was already exercising the responsibilities of the state’s police chief. The new order formally appoints him to the substantive post of Director General of Police (Head of Police Force) through the prescribed selection process.

It also gives the appointment a defined minimum tenure under the Supreme Court’s police-reform framework.

The change removes the uncertainty associated with an officiating arrangement that had continued since July 2022.

For the Punjab Government, the appointment also represents a major step towards compliance with the judicial directions requiring selection of a regular DGP through the UPSC process.

For Yadav, it provides formal regular status in an office he has occupied for more than four years, while the state police continues to face challenges relating to organised crime, gangsters, narcotics trafficking, cross-border threats and public order.

From Officiating DGP in July 2022 to Regular DGP in October 2026

Gaurav Yadav was initially appointed officiating DGP on July 4, 2022, and assumed charge on July 5, 2022.

At the time, he was serving as Special DGP (Administration) and was also associated with the Chief Minister’s office as Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

His appointment followed the decision of the then regular DGP, Viresh Kumar Bhawra, to proceed on leave.

Yadav was initially assigned the responsibilities of Head of Police Force in addition to his existing duties.

In September 2022, Bhawra was shifted to the Punjab Police Housing Corporation, while Yadav continued to head the state police in an officiating capacity.

What began as a temporary arrangement consequently continued for more than four years.

The October 9, 2026, notification marks the transition from that prolonged officiating arrangement to a regular appointment following UPSC empanelment.

Appointment Comes After Supreme Court’s Intervention Over Acting DGPs

The regular appointment follows a prolonged controversy over the practice of state governments continuing with acting or officiating DGPs instead of completing the UPSC-led selection process.

In February 2026, the Supreme Court addressed delays by states in appointing regular police chiefs under the Prakash Singh framework.

The Court expressed concern that prolonged delays in forwarding proposals to the UPSC could deprive eligible senior officers of consideration for the top police post.

In its February 5 order, the Supreme Court authorised the UPSC to seek timely proposals from state governments and approach the Court when states failed to comply.

On March 12, 2026, the Supreme Court specifically included Punjab among the states required to explain delays in following the prescribed DGP appointment process.

The Court asked why appropriate action under the Contempt of Courts Act should not be considered in connection with the withholding of recommendations for regular DGP appointments.

These were judicial directions and show-cause proceedings concerning compliance with police-reform requirements, not a final finding of contempt against Punjab.

Subsequently, the UPSC informed the Supreme Court that it had received Punjab’s proposal on April 6, 2026.

The Commission eventually empanelled three officers, as confirmed by the Punjab Government’s October 9 notification.

High Court Had Also Sought Decision on Regular DGP Appointment

The issue of Punjab’s prolonged officiating DGP arrangement had also reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

A public interest litigation filed by advocate Nikhil Thamman questioned the continued arrangement despite the availability of a UPSC-recommended panel.

On October 1, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the state government to take an appropriate decision regarding the appointment of a regular DGP.

The Court also sought a compliance affidavit from Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha by the next hearing, scheduled for October 13.

The appointment order dated October 9 has therefore been issued four days before that scheduled hearing.

The formal notification establishes that the government has now made the appointment. However, the High Court will determine the status of compliance in the proceedings before it.