Photo Source: Sumedha Kataria's Facebook account
Retired Woman IAS officer named member of Haryana Police Complaints Authority
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 17, 2025: The Haryana government has appointed retired 2005-batch IAS officer Sumedha Kataria as a member of the State Police Complaints Authority for a three-year term. The appointment order, dated September 17, was signed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr. Sumita Mishra.
Earlier, on August 8, retired IPS officer Dr. R.C. Mishra (1989 batch) was appointed Chairperson, and retired IAS officer Lalit Siwach (2014 batch) was appointed as member of the Authority. Both had assumed charge on August 11.
The move comes after Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate and administrative law expert Hemant Kumar wrote to state authorities on August 28, highlighting that under Section 59(2)(c) of the Haryana Police Act, 2007, the Authority must have at least one woman member. His representation pointed out that the absence of a woman member was a violation of the statutory requirement.
Hemant Kumar also raised another legal concern regarding the appointment orders. He argued that, as per the Police Act, the word “Chief Minister” should be cited in the notification, whereas the recent appointment orders mention “Governor.” He stressed that official orders must use terminology consistent with the parent legislation.
It is notable that in April 2021, the previous Haryana Police Complaints Authority was chaired by Navraj Sandhu, a retired IPS officer, with two retired male members. Since the Chairperson was a woman, the legal requirement for a separate woman member did not apply at that time.
Hemant further recalled that in December 2024, the UT Chandigarh Police Complaints Authority was reconstituted with retired Justice Kuldeep Singh as Chairperson, and retired IAS officer Dhira Khandelwal and retired IPS officer Amarjot Singh Gill as members, fulfilling the gender representation requirement.
Meanwhile, Dr. R.C. Mishra’s appointment as Chairperson of the Haryana Police Complaints Authority has already been challenged in the High Court. Petitioners have cited the Supreme Court’s landmark 2006 judgment in Prakash Singh vs Union of India, which directed that such state-level authorities must be chaired by a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge, selected from a panel recommended by the Chief Justice of the High Court.
The controversy is expected to intensify as the debate over legal technicalities and compliance with Supreme Court directives continues.