Asif Iqbal
Srinagar, Feb 27: Election Commission of India on Tuesday issued a clarification vis-à-vis its recent circular on transfers and postings, thereby exempting states and union territories with upto five Parliamentary constituencies from the directive.
In a communiqué to Chief Secretaries of all the States & Union Territories and Chief Electoral Officers of all the States & Union Territories, a copy of which lies with GNS, the Commission Senior Principal Secretary Narendra N. Butolia, referring to the Commission’s instructions dated 21.12.2023 and 23.02.2024, regarding the transfers and postings in wake of General Elections to House of the People (Lok Sabha), 2024, clarified that, “All the DEOs, Dy. DEOs, RO, AROs, and Range ADGs, lGs, DlGs, SSPs, SPs, Addl. SPs, Dy. SPs, Circle Officers (or equivalent rank police officers) shall be posted out if they are completing 3 years during the last 4 years in the same Parliamentary Constituency or districts. Thus, the Commission’s instructions dated 23.02.2024 would be applicable only on the above officers. Moreover, it shall be ensured that ROs and AROs are not posted in the Parliamentary Constituency which is comprised of their Home District.
“The States/UTs with upto 5 Parliamentary Constituencies shall be exempted from the Commission’s aforesaid instructions dated 23.02.2024,” reads the corrigendum.
“The compliance report from the Chief Secretary and DGP of the concerned states may be sent immediately,” it further reads.
Pertinently, the Commission had recently taken a strong notice to the alleged defiance in transfer and posting policy saying that in certain cases officers are being transferred/posted in the adjacent districts within the same Parliamentary Constituency thereby undermining the spirit of transfer policy.
The exemption from the directive will now have an overall bearing on at least nineteen states and union territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, in view of general elections expected in and around April 2024.(GNS)
