Geetha Johri appointed Gujarat’s in-charge DGP

Ahmedabad: Geetha Johri, Gujarat’s first IPS officer, was on Tuesday given additional charge as Director General of Police.

Johri, a 1982 batch IPS officer, is also Gujarat’s first woman DGP rank officer and is currently managing director of State Police Housing Corp. Her appointment as in-charge DGP was made during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, junior home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja announced.

Her appointment comes after the Supreme Court on Monday agreed with the Gujarat government’s acceptance of an offer by former DGP P.P. Pandey to forego his extension till 30 April and step down from the top police post.

Former DGP Julio Ribeiro had challenged Pandey’s appointment before the Supreme Court.

Johri was an accused in the Sohrabuddin-Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case. The special CBI court, however, discharged her from the case in March 2015 after the prosecution failed to obtain sanction for her prosecution from the state government. Such sanction is mandatory to put an IPS official on trial.

Sources in the home department said Johri may soon get regular posting as DGP. Also, a major reshuffle in police department and the state administration is on the cards, said sources.