Who is Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, the new Kerala police chief?

The Kerala government has named Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, currently serving as special director with the Intelligence Bureau, as the new state police chief.

 

The 1991-batch IPS officer will succeed Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who is retiring today.

 

Chandrasekhar, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was among the three names accepted by the UPSC for the DGP post in Kerala. He began his policing career as an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Thalassery. In the aftermath of the Koothuparamba firing incident on November 25, 1994—when police opened fire on a crowd, resulting in the deaths of five DYFI activists (K.K. Rajeevan, Madhu, Shibulal, Babu, and Roshan) and injuries to six others—Chandrasekhar faced legal proceedings. Murder charges were initially framed against him. However, after a prolonged legal battle, the Kerala High Court quashed the charges on June 25, 2012.

 

On June 15, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)—a high-level committee within the Government of India responsible for appointing senior officials to key positions—approved Chandrasekhar’s appointment as Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat. He was slated to assume charge on August 1, succeeding Harinath Mishra, an IPS officer from the Kerala cadre.

 

However, on June 20, Chandrasekhar met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan—giving rise to speculations that he is interested in returning to state service and assuming the DGP position.

 

Apart from Chandrasekhar, Nitin Agrawal, Yogesh Gupta, Manoj Abraham, and ADGPs S. Suresh and M.R. Ajith Kumar were reportedly considered by the state government for the DGP post.

 

Reports also suggested that the government was not entirely comfortable selecting DGP from among the senior-most IPS officers—Agrawal, Chandrasekhar, and Gupta. Ultimately, the UPSC’s final shortlist featured only these three names, and the state government's special cabinet meeting today named Chandrasekhar.

 

Notably, Chandrasekhar has just one year left in service. If he were to take up the post of Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, he may not receive an extension. However, as Kerala’s police chief, he will be eligible for a one-year extension, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directive mandating a minimum two-year tenure for state DGPs.

India