Reaffirming its commitment to ensuring a level playing field in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued transfer orders for non-cadre officers holding leadership positions as District Magistrates (DMs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) in four states – Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha, and West Bengal.
Click Here to Join Whatsapp Group
An ECI spokesperson stated, “The decision was taken after the Commission convened a meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.”
The spokesperson revealed the details of the transfers, saying, “The officers to be transferred are SP of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts in Gujarat; SSPs of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural, and Malerkotla districts in Punjab; DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts in Odisha; and DMs of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman, and Birbhum districts in West Bengal.”
Emphasizing the Commission’s commitment to neutrality, the spokesperson added, “Additionally, the Commission has also directed the transfer of SSP Bathinda in Punjab and SP Sonitpur in Assam, in view of their kinship or familial association with elected political representatives. These transfers have been initiated as pre-emptive measures to dispel any apprehensions of administration being biased or perceived to be compromised.”
The ECI spokesperson clarified the rationale behind the transfers, stating, “The posts of DM and SP in the district are encadred for officers from the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service, respectively. The Commission has transferred such DMs and SPs who are not conferred with IAS and IPS ranks.”
“Under the directive, all respective state governments have been instructed to promptly transfer non-encadred officers from their current roles as DM and SP/SSP, with immediate effect, and submit a compliance report to the Commission,” the spokesperson concluded. The ECI’s move aims to uphold the principles of free and fair elections by ensuring impartial and unbiased administration in the states going to polls.
