The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) is a senior three-star rank within the Indian Police Service (IPS), functioning as a high-level administrative and operational concept in India's police structure. It is the second-highest rank in state police forces, positioned directly below the Director General of Police (DGP) and above the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The rank corresponds to the Level 15 (HAG) pay grade.
The rank emerged to solve the problem of managing increasingly large and complex state police forces, allowing the DGP to delegate authority to senior officers. While the original Police Act of 1861 established the Inspector General (IG) as the highest rank, the ADGP position was created later as an intermediate rank between the IG and the DGP. The mechanism for its creation is mentioned in Section 5 of the Police Act in some states, which allows the State Government to appoint one or more Additional Director Generals as necessary.
To be appointed as an ADGP, an officer must typically be an IPS officer with a minimum of 25 years of service and be empaneled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The appointment is made by the state government. ADGPs are assigned to oversee specific aspects of policing, such as Law and Order, the Crime Branch, or Training, and may head large geographical zones. The rank is also used for central deputation to organizations like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF). The rank has remained structurally consistent, with no recent major amendments or replacements to the rank itself.