Hyderabad: Telangana high court has directed the state govt to spell out its stand by July 28 on grievances raised by a batch of newly-recruited deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) over the criteria adopted for fixing their seniority.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin granted the govt one final opportunity after it sought additional time, informing the court that the representation submitted by the officers was still under examination.The petition was filed by 31 DSPs recruited through the recently concluded Group-I recruitment process. They challenged the ad hoc rules issued in Oct 2025 prescribing weightage criteria for determining seniority among newly-recruited DSPs.The petitioners contended that the rules effectively altered the existing framework for fixing seniority. According to their counsel, although the rules framed under the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution were not expressly made retrospective, a Dec 2025 order issued by the director general of police applied them to the current batch of probationary DSPs selected as DSPs (civil), who began service on Oct 27, 2025.Appearing for the state, the govt pleader for home (services), relying on written instructions from the home department, informed the court that the issue was under active consideration and sought more time to place the government’s decision on record.The petitioners opposed further adjournment, arguing that their training is scheduled to conclude in Aug 2026 and that the issue directly affects their future service prospects. Their counsel pointed out that the high court had already recorded their grievance in an order passed on April 16 and that the matter had been repeatedly deferred, including on June 11, based on the govt’s assurance that their representation was being examined.Taking note of the submissions, the bench directed the state to come up with a clear position on the issue by the next hearing on July 28.
