Kerala DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb is going to retire in two months by the month of June; therefore the search for new state police chief is underway.
Kerala’s Director General of Police (DGP), Shaik Darvesh Saheb, a 1990-batch IPS officer, is set to retire on June 30, prompting the state government to begin the selection process for his successor.
As part of the process, the government has reached out to six senior IPS officers—each with over 30 years of service—inviting them to submit their résumés and indicate their interest in being considered for the top post. The names of eligible candidates will be sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for evaluation.
The officers under consideration include:
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DGP Nitin Agrawal
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DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar
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DGP Yogesh Gupta
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ADGP Manoj Abraham
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ADGP S. Suresh
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ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar
Among them, Nitin Agrawal is the senior-most, also from the 1990 batch. Currently serving as Kerala’s Road Safety Commissioner, Agrawal previously held the post of Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF). He is due to retire in June 2026.
Ravada A. Chandrasekhar (1991 batch), presently a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), is scheduled to retire in June 2025.
Yogesh Gupta (1993 batch), heading Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, is in service until 2030.
Manoj Abraham, from the 1994 batch, is the ADGP for Law and Order and will retire in 2031.
S. Suresh (1995 batch), currently Additional Director in the Special Protection Group (SPG), which provides security to the Prime Minister, is also due for retirement in 2031.
M.R. Ajith Kumar, also of the 1995 batch, serves as ADGP of the Armed Police Battalion, and is set to retire by December 2028.
However, insiders note that Ravada Chandrasekhar and S. Suresh, both presently assigned to key national security roles in IB and SPG, may be less likely to accept the DGP role in Kerala given potential career prospects within their current organizations.
The Kerala government is expected to forward the list of potential candidates to the UPSC by April, after which the commission will shortlist three names. The final selection will be made by the state government from among these.
