Senior IPS officer Alok Kumar moves tribunal seeking pending promotion

Bengaluru: Senior Karnataka IPS officer Alok Kumar has moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) seeking his pending promotion. 

“Issue a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order, or direction commanding the Respondents to consider the Applicant's promotion to the next higher rank in accordance with the recommendations of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) made in the years 2023 and 2024, without any further delay,” his petition seeking relief said.

Kumar, an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), is a 1994-batch officer from the Karnataka cadre. Interestingly, on September 12, the state government had passed orders promoting Umesh Kumar and Arun Chakaravarthy to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP). Both officers are from the 1995 batch and Kumar’s juniors.

In its order dated September 18, the CAT stayed the promotion order. "Having found a prima facie case, we deem it appropriate to stay the order dated September 12, 2025 (Annexure-A1) till the next date of hearing. Ordered accordingly," the order said, posting the matter to October 23.  

In May this year, Kumar was issued a notice seeking to revive the departmental inquiry concerning the 2019 alleged audio leak case. CAT had stayed the notice after Kumar had submitted that in 2023, the state government had decided not to proceed further with the departmental inquiry, and the CBI also had filed a B Closure Report.