Bengaluru: The top two contenders for the post of the Director General and Inspector General of Police are from the 1981 batch of Indian Police Service (IPS) and will have to work in tandem with their batch mate, a retired IPS officer, who is now adviser to the Home Minister and at the helm of police affairs in the state.

Special Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rupak Kumar Dutta and Commandant General, Home guards and Director, Civil Defence, Om Prakash, who DGP rank officers of 1981 batch of IPS, are the top contenders for the post of the DG&IGP from among the list of four contenders, including Chairman State Police Housing Corporation Sushant Mahapatra of 1979 batch and DGP, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Bipin Gopal Krishna.

“One of the two (Mr Dutta and Mr Om Prakash) is likely to get appointed as the DG&IGP by this weekend. They will have to work closely with Mr. Kempaiah, who is not only an adviser to Home Minister K.J. George but an old trusted lieutenant of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who banks on him implicitly for Home (police) affairs.

“He has been Mr. Siddaramaiah’s confidante for the last 15 years and the DG&IGP will have to work with him,” said an official source. Mr. Kempaiah had opted for voluntary retirement in August 2010 after a verbal altercation with the then DG&IGP Ajay Kumar Singh and in August last year was appointed as the adviser to Home Minister K.J. George and accorded a Minister of State rank.

Meanwhile, the high level committee to select the police chief will now meet on Friday and the CM will issue the promotion and posting orders of the DG&IGP only by Saturday afternoon to avoid legal hurdles, said official sources.