ECI issues detail instruction for postings and transfers in view on lok Sabha elections

Chandigarh, January 16, 2014: The ECI today issued detailed guidelines to all chief secretaries of the states regarding postings and transfers of officers in view of Lok Sabha election 2014.

According to Raminder Singh chief electoral officer, Punjab instructions have been issued that no officer connected with elections, directly or indirectly, should be allowed to continue the present district of posting if she or he is posted in her/his home district or if she/he has completed three year in that district during last four year or would be completing three year on or before 31-05-2014. The state government has been asked strictly follow the cut-off date and accordingly three year period may be reckoned backward from 31-05-2014

The CEO clarified that these instructions cover not only officer appointed for specific duty like district election officers, deputy election officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers but also other district officers like additional district magistrates, deputy collectors, SDMs , Tehsildars, BDOs or any other officer proposed to be deployed for election work.

Clarifying position regarding officers of police department Raminder singh said that these instructions would be applicable to Range IGs, DIGs, Commandants of state armed police, SSPs, SPs ,Additional SPs, Sub Divisional Head of Police, Inspectors or equivalent rank who are responsible of deployment of police force in the district at the election time. The police official who are posted in the fictional departments like computerization, special branch training are not covered under these instructions. He said that apart from these police officer of level sub inspectors should not be posted in their home assembly constituencies and they should be transferred not only out of police sub division but also out of assembly constituency.

The commission has asked the state government to conduct a detail review in all district and all such officers be posted out of home district or out of the district on the aforesaid date immediately. He said that while moving such officers’ care should be taken that they are not posted to their home districts. The CEO said that while calculating the period of three year promotion to a post with in a district has to be counted.

However these instructions do not apply to officers posted in the state head quarter or department concerned, he clarified.

He said that no officer /official against whom a criminal case is pending in any court of law be associated with election work or election duty.

Taking seriously the issue of individual circumventing the directions, the CEO said that commission has in past has received complains that while the state government transferred official in the above categories in pursuance of directions of ECI, Raminder Singh said that the individuals try to circumvent the objective by proceeding on leave and physically not moving out of district from which they stand transferred. He said that the commission has viewed it seriously and desires that all such officials who stands transferred in pursuance of instructions should be asked to move physically out of the district of which they stand transferred immediately on receipt of transfer order.

He said that while implementing these instruction commission desire that CEO shall invariably be consulted in posting the new persons in place of present incumbent who stand transferred in pursuance of these instructions. The copies of orders issued under these instructions shall be given to CEO without fail.

Any officer who is due to retire within in coming six month will be exempted from the instructions and they shall not be engaged for performing the election duty.

Clarifying on re employed officers the state has been asked that all such officers who are on extension of service or re employed in different capacities would not be associated with election duty. The commission has sought action taken report from all states by February 15.//punjab news live, punjab news online, punjab news, punjab news headlines, punjab breaking news, india news, punjab news,

http://cityairnews.com/