New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday took a significant step to hold states accountable for appointing a regular police chief within prescribed timelines as it authorised the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) to report about such defaulting states and warned of action against officials responsible for such delay. The order was passed by a bench of CJI Surya Kant and justice Joymalya Bagchi in an appeal filed by the UPSC after it was directed by the Telangana high court on January 9 to process the state's request for appointment of a director general of police (DGP). The commission had objected by saying that the last such proposal was moved by the state in 2015 which led to appointment of a regular DGP in November 2015. After he demitted office in November 2017, the state had been appointing acting DGP, which the top court has held to be a violation of its police reforms guidelines issued in the 2006 Prakash Singh case. "Don't get trapped by states. They will never like a regular DGP but will prefer an ad-hoc or Acting DGP as it suits their purpose," remarked the bench, even as it questioned the commission for not approaching the court at the very first instance ....