Bangalore :Bipin Gopalkrishna, promoted as DGP (CID) in July 2013, has been reverted to the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP). The state government has cancelled the promotion of senior IPS officer Bipin Gopalkrishna as Director General of Police (DGP) ending an over year-long correspondence battle with the Centre over the issue.

The Centre had refused to sanction the promotion on the grounds that Karnataka, which is entitled to 4 DGP’s, had no vacant post in that cadre (It is entitled to one for every 25 IPS officers). These include Lalrokhuma Pachau (state police chief), Susant Mahapatra (DGP, Training), Dr Umapathy B E (DGP Police Housing Corporation) and Om Prakash (DGP Fire Force & Home Guards). The file containing the Government’s proposal  was sent back to the state in May 2014.

The audit department too refused to pay Bipin a DGP’s salary, instead allowing him to draw the salary of an ADGP.  After the first refusal, the state had quoted the earlier precedent of a fifth DGP in  ST Ramesh, but the centre rejected this argument saying that  Ramesh was allowed to be made fifth DGP for a temporary period of six months only to carry out certain important tasks.

The state government was boxed into a corner and issued an order on Monday reverting Bipin to ADGP rank, though he retains charge of the CID .

“If Rupak Kumar Dutta, who has gone on deputation to the CBI, decides to comeback, we may have to demote Om Prakash also. Dutta has to be posted as DGP in place of the latter,” sources said.

Based on seniority, Bipin will get back the DGP rank on January 1, 2015 after Umapthy retires on December 31, sources said. The state is also optimistic that the NDA government will review cadre management across the country and grant two more posts of DGPs to the state. The Union government gives one DGP post for every 25 IPS officers.