Khushi Bhuta, Pune
Ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Elections, the Election Commission (EC) has slammed the state government for not following its directives when it comes to the transfer and posting of bureaucrats. The EC has also currently sent a team to further assess the electoral preparations within the state.
The EC issued a letter on the 31st of July, demanding that the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) ensure that the transfers of all officers are conducted under specified conditions. The commission had also further demanded a compliance report by the 20th of August. After multiple reminders dated August 22, September 11 and September 25, the report was not submitted. In response to the same, the EC has called for an explanation from the Chief Secretary and DGP.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary on Friday, EC confirmed that while the additional DGP submitted a partial report, a complete report of the same is yet to be received by the body. The EC stated that “no report has been received in the Commission from the Chief Secretary till date.” They also further demanded that a justification be provided to “explain the circumstances as to why the compliance reports have not been furnished even after the lapse of stipulated time limit despite reminders in the matter”.
As per the EC’s orders, police inspectors are not permitted to be relocated within the jurisdiction of the same police commissionerate involving distinct revenue districts. The implementation of EC’s orders could potentially result in the moving of several high-ranking officers outside the state capital Mumbai. The lack of compliance covers multiple bureaucrats and officers, notably a joint commissioner. The government, however, could potentially seek out an exemption for the top-ranking officers.
The tenure of the current Maharashtra assembly is to end on the 26th of November. As the term ends, an EC team is inspecting the state closely. The team is headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh. The Mumbai visit is a two-day visit and will be assessing the pre-election status of the state.