THE new appointment had been greeted by the ruling Janata Dal and the state home department with a sense of relief. For, the outgoing Karnataka director general of police, A.P. Durai—now set to be replaced by T. Srinivasulu—had in his five months as head of the state police earned the ire of his political masters by refusing to order convenient transfers of officers. Moreover, he had allegedly snubbed them by determinedly sticking to the rules. However, that relief has been shortlived. Chief Minister J.H. Patel has been put in a spot by Durai's colleague C. Dinakar, who has petitioned the central administrative tribunal (CAT) to appoint him rather than Srinivasulu as the new director general. The reason: Srinivasulu's selection was not based on seniority and merit but was influenced by malice towards Dinakar.