Geetha Johri takes over from P.P Pandey

Geetha Johri, a 1982 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has been appointed as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat after P.P Pandey resigned from the post. The government has given her this position in addition to her present post as Managing Director of the Gujarat Police Housing Corporation.

She is the first woman IPS of Gujarat cadre and now becomes the first woman to head the State police force.

On Monday, the government announced that it had accepted the resignation of Mr. Pandey, who was earlier given a three-month extension as DGP after he retired in January. Mr Pandey's resignation came in the midst of a petition in the apex court challenging the extension given to him on the grounds that he was a top accused in the controversial fake encounter of Ishrat Jahan and three others.

Ms Johri is considered to be a very competent police officer who has served in important positions, including Police Commissioner of Rajkot and before that, as head of State CID (Crime). The apex court had appointed her to probe the Sohrabuddin and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter cases.

However, after those cases were handed over to the CBI, she was chargesheeted by the central agency but was subsequently discharged from the case.

The Sohrabuddin fake encounter case had high profile accused, including top IPS officers of Gujarat and Rajasthan and also then Home Minister of Gujarat Amit Shah, who was later discharged from the case.