Chandigarh, Jan. 1 -- The Haryana government on Wednesday appointed 1992-batch IPS officer Ajay Singhal as the new director general of police (DGP), succeeding OP Singh, who retired on superannuation the same day. The empanelment committee of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday selected a panel of three IPS officers - former DGP and 1990-batch IPS officer Shatrujeet Kapur, Ajay Singhal and Alok Mittal (1993 batch). Chief minister Nayab Saini then gave his nod for appointing Singhal as the new head of police force. Singhal, who at present is holding the charge of the director general, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), replaces his batchmate and officiating DGP OP Singh, who retired on Wednesday. According to the orders issued by the state government, Singhal will have a minimum tenure of two years as mandated by the Supreme Court. He retires in October 2028. "On consideration of the panel received from the Union Public Service Commission, the governor of Haryana is pleased to appoint Ajay Singhal, IPS (HY:1992), as director general of police, Haryana (head of police force) for a minimum tenure of at least two years from the date of his assumption of charge, in terms of the judgment of the Supreme Court passed in W.P.(Civil) No. 310/1996 titled as Prakash Singh and others Versus Union of India, and till further orders thereafter,'' said the order issued by additional chief secretary, home, Sumita Misra. The necessity to send a proposal to the UPSC for appointing a new DGP arose because the incumbent acting DGP, OP Singh, was retiring on December 31. Singh was given the additional charge of the DGP on October 14 after the then DGP Shatrujeet Kapur was asked to proceed on leave by the state government amid mounting pressure for initiating action against him in wake of suicide by fellow IPS officer Y Puran Kumar. After the state government sent a proposal to the UPSC containing the records of five IPS officers who are holding the post of DGP in the state cadre in level-16 of the pay matrix, the commission sent the proposal back. The state government then shifted out Kapur on December 14 as the DGP after the UPSC returned Haryana's proposal with an observation that there was no vacancy for appointing the new DGP since Kapur was merely on leave and can join back anytime....