The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a six-month extension for Siddh Nath Gupta, allowing him to continue as Director General of Police (DGP) of West Bengal beyond his retirement on April 30.
Extension approved by Centre
According to an official order issued on Monday, the extension has been granted in public interest following a proposal from the Ministry of Home Affairs sent on April 20.
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"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Home Affairs for grant of extension in Service of Shri Siddh Nath Gupta, IPS (WB:1992), DG & IGP, West Bengal for a period of 6 months beyond 30.04.2026 in relaxation of Rule 16(1) of AIS (DCRB) Rules, 1958 in public interest," the order stated.
West Bengal DG and IGP Siddh Nath Gupta's service has been extended for a period of six months beyond 30.04.2026 pic.twitter.com/qoQapdnr7y
— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2026
The ACC is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the Union Home minister as a member.
Appointment during election period
Gupta, a 1992-batch IPS officer, was appointed state police chief by the Election Commission of India on March 16, shortly after the announcement of Assembly elections. He replaced Peeyush Pandey, who had been appointed earlier by the state government.
Pandey, junior to Gupta by one batch, is due to retire in December 2028.
During the same period, the Election Commission also made changes to several key positions, including the Kolkata police commissioner, the chief of correctional services and the additional director general in charge of law and order.
Wider administrative reshuffle
Following the announcement of elections on March 15, the Commission transferred 483 administrative and police officials in West Bengal. This was significantly higher compared to 23 officers shifted across other poll-bound states such as Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
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The ACC has granted similar service extensions to senior officials in the past. Among those who received extensions are former Gujarat police chief Vikas Sahay, former Delhi police commissioners Rakesh Asthana and Amulya Patnaik, former Enforcement Directorate director Sanjay Mishra, former home secretary Ajay Bhalla and current CBI director Praveen Sood.
