Representative image. Ministry of Defence, GODL-India, Wikimedia Commons
हिन्दी में सारांश Summary in Hindi
- केंद्रीय गृह मंत्रालय ने दिल्ली पुलिस के ACP मनस्वी वशिष्ठ को तुरंत प्रभाव से निलंबित कर दिया है; यह खबर 3 नवंबर 2026 को आई।
- नुसार 2 नवंबर के आदेश में CCS (CCA) नियम, 1965 का नियम 10 लगाया गया है और विभागीय कार्रवाई प्रस्तावित बताई गई है।
- गुवाई की थी।
বাংলায় সারাংশ Summary in Bangla
- বিলম্বে সাসপেন্ড করেছে; খবরটি আসে 3 নভেম্বর 2026।
- দ্য ট্রিবিউন জানিয়েছে, 2 নভেম্বরের আদেশে CCS (CCA) রুলস, 1965-এর রুল 10 প্রয়োগ করা হয়েছে এবং বিভাগীয় তদন্তের কথা ভাবা হচ্ছে বলে বলা হয়েছে।
- বশিষ্ঠ 2 নভেম্বর দিল্লি পুলিশ সদর দফতরের বাইরে নিজের ও শাহদরা SHO-র বদলির বিরুদ্ধে পুলিশকর্মীদের বিক্ষোভের নেতৃত্ব দেন।
Why it matters
Delhi Police and the city's lawyers deal with each other every day in police stations and district courts, and this row has already caused a lawyers' strike and a police protest at headquarters. How the ministry handles the officer, and whether the High Court takes up the PIL, will shape how complaints by either side are handled. The commissioner has also promised a joint committee with the bar to deal with such disputes.
Manasvi Vashishta, the Delhi ACP suspended by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in an order reported on 3 November 2026, had led a Delhi Police protest outside the force’s headquarters on 2 November. The order, which The Tribune quotes and dates 2 November, suspends the Assistant Commissioner of Police with immediate effect. In a video message after it, ACP Vashishta said his morale was intact and he expected a fair inquiry.
It is the latest turn in a row between Delhi Police and the city’s lawyers that began with a scuffle at Shahdara police station in North East Delhi on 23 October. Lawyers have since asked the Delhi High Court to act over remarks they say were made at the protest.
Delhi ACP suspended: what the Home Ministry order says
According to the text quoted by The Tribune, the order says departmental proceedings are contemplated against Manasvi Vashishta, a 2019 batch officer of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS), the cadre that staffs Delhi Police and the police of several Union Territories. The order invokes Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965, usually shortened to CCS (CCA) Rules.
The Hindu reported that Under Secretary Rakesh Kumar Singh issued the order. Both papers report the same conditions:
- His headquarters during the suspension will be Delhi, and he cannot leave it without prior permission from the competent authority.
- He will get a subsistence allowance equal to the leave salary on half average pay or half pay, with dearness allowance where admissible, if he certifies that he has no other paid work.
Rule 10, as The Hindu summarised it, lets the government suspend an employee when disciplinary proceedings are contemplated or pending, when the employee’s activities are considered prejudicial to the security of the State, or when a criminal case against them is under investigation, inquiry or trial. The order, as quoted, relies on the first ground.
Why Delhi Police personnel protested at headquarters
On Monday, 2 November, police personnel gathered outside Delhi Police headquarters to demand that the transfer orders of Vashishta and Inspector Arun Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Shahdara, be withdrawn. Both had been moved on 28 October: Vashishta from his post as sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children, and Kumar to the security unit.
The transfers came after lawyers at Delhi’s district courts went on an indefinite strike. Advocate Lalit Bansal suffered a serious head injury in an alleged assault at the Shahdara police station on 23 October, The Tribune reported.
The coordination committee of the district court bar associations said in a circular, quoted by The Indian Express, that according to the account placed before it, the ACP displayed his revolver and threatened advocates who came to the station on 24 October. The lawyers called off the strike once the transfers were ordered.
The police have a different account. The Indian Express reported that a case was registered against 15 to 20 lawyers on a complaint by Vashishta, alleging that they misbehaved with him and the SHO in the SHO’s room on 24 October, abused the officers and obstructed their work.
At the protest, the demands put to Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar included a standard operating procedure for confrontations involving lawyers, a limit of five lawyers entering a police station at a time, and cases against lawyers who allegedly misbehaved with police, The Hindu reported. Vashishta told reporters the protest was an “organic call” and that police needed to speak up about what he described as hooliganism inside police stations, The Indian Express reported.
The commissioner met the protesters after nearly three hours, according to The Hindu, and later held a Sampark Sabha, a grievance meeting, at headquarters. A Delhi Police statement quoted by ThePrint said a Joint Coordination Committee with bar representatives would be set up at district and headquarters level, and promotions, the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme and housing would get attention.
How many police joined the protest: the reported figures
Outlets gave different crowd sizes, and none of the reports read cites an official count. ThePrint put it at nearly 80, LiveLaw at around 100, The Hindu at more than 100 and The Indian Express at about 150.
Timeline: from the Shahdara scuffle to the suspension
| Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
| 23 October | Scuffle at Shahdara police station; advocate Lalit Bansal suffers a serious head injury in an alleged assault |
| 24 October | Face-off at the station; each side accuses the other |
| 24 to 28 October | District court lawyers go on an indefinite strike demanding action against the officers |
| 28 October | ACP Vashishta and SHO Arun Kumar transferred; lawyers call off the strike |
| 2 November | Police personnel protest outside Delhi Police headquarters; commissioner meets them; date The Tribune gives for the suspension order |
| 3 November | Suspension reported; High Court declines to act on its own; public interest petition filed; ACP Vashishta’s video message |
What Manasvi Vashishta said after the suspension
In a video message to colleagues, ACP Vashishta said he was not disheartened and urged them to stay focused. “Suspension is not a big bad thing. It is just a departmental action. I have faith in the system that there will be a fair inquiry and fair judgment,” he said, as reported by The Hindu. The Tribune reported that he also thanked the police leadership for holding the Sampark Sabha and hoped the issues raised there would be resolved.
Manasvi Vashishta studied mechanical engineering at IIT Kharagpur, served in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 2022 and returned to Delhi in December 2024, The Tribune reported.
The lawyers’ side: High Court asks for a formal petition
On 3 November a group of lawyers asked the Delhi High Court to take suo motu cognisance, that is, to act on its own, over remarks they said were made against advocates during the Delhi Police protest. They told the court that phrases such as “use of AK-47” and “kale coat ke gunde” (goons in black coats) were used, The Hindu reported. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma declined and asked them to file a formal petition, saying it would order the matter listed once filed.
Later that day advocate Karan Bir Singh filed a public interest litigation (PIL), a petition filed in the public interest. According to LiveLaw, it names the Union of India, the Police Commissioner, the Special Commissioner of Police (Vigilance), ACP Vashishta and Sub-Inspector Vishal Yadav as respondents.
The plea alleges that videos show Manasvi Vashishta making threatening remarks about advocates, and that a separate video shows Yadav threatening to fire an AK-47 at an advocate. It argues that the suspension does not deal with the wider allegations, and asks for an independent, time-bound inquiry. The petitioner also says police participation in the protest should be examined under the Police Forces (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1966. These are the petitioner’s claims, not findings.
This is not the first such clash. In November 2019, after a parking dispute at Tis Hazari court, over 2,000 police personnel and family members gathered outside Delhi Police headquarters, The Indian Express noted. More stories from the capital are on our Delhi page.
What comes next for the suspended ACP
The order says only that proceedings are contemplated; the reports read do not say when an inquiry will begin or what charges, if any, it will cover. They also do not give a hearing date for the PIL. While suspended, Vashishta must stay in Delhi unless permitted to leave and is paid the subsistence allowance set out in the order.
The other open item is the Joint Coordination Committee with the bar. The police statement quoted by ThePrint did not give a date for its first meeting.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Delhi ACP Manasvi Vashishta suspended?
The Home Ministry order, as quoted by The Tribune, says departmental proceedings against him are contemplated and invokes Rule 10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. The suspension was reported on 3 November, a day after he led a police protest outside Delhi Police headquarters.
Does a suspended officer get paid?
Yes, a subsistence allowance. The order sets it at the leave salary on half average pay or half pay, plus dearness allowance where admissible, if he certifies he has no other paid work.
What did ACP Manasvi Vashishta say about the suspension?
In a video message he said suspension is just a departmental action and that he has faith in the system and expects a fair inquiry, The Hindu reported.
What does the PIL against the ACP ask for?
According to LiveLaw, advocate Karan Bir Singh's petition seeks an independent, time-bound inquiry into alleged threats to lawyers by police officials, and removal of specific social media videos after preserving the originals.