By: Express News ServiceMumbai | January 4, 2026 07:21 AM IST 1 min readDr Sadanand Vasant Date takes charge as Maharashtra DGP, succeeds state’s first woman police chief Rashmi Shukla (File)Former National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Dr Sadanand Vasant Date took charge as the Director General of Police (DGP), Maharashtra, on Saturday. Date succeeds Rashmi Shukla, the first woman DGP of Maharashtra.Date, a 1990-batch IPS officer, will occupy the post for two years even though he is due to retire in December 2026, in line with Supreme Court guidelines.The SC directed the appointment of DGPs for two years to prevent political interference in the functioning of state police chiefs. Shukla, too, had a two-year tenure, though she had only six months left when she was appointed DGP in January 2024.Date, who has in the past served as chief of the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), was the first commissioner of the newly formed Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police Commissionerate that came up in 2020, joint commissioner of police (law and order) and later joint commissioner of the crime branch in Mumbai city. Date, who was recently overseeing the probe in the Delhi car blasts case as the NIA chief, is known as an officer with a clean image.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Mumbai