Newmai News Network
Imphal | October 15
With the assembly election in Manipur just a few months away, the Manipur government has received an advisory from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on transfer/posting of officers connected with the conduct of elections.
Election to the Manipur Legislative Assembly is likely to be held in February/March next year along with Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The term of the current Manipur legislative Assembly ends by March 19, 2022. The ECI sent the advisory to the chief secretaries and chief electoral officers (CEOs) of these five poll-bound states.
The advisory dated October 13 reminded that the poll commission has been following a consistent policy that officers directly connected with conduct of elections in election-going states/UTs are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for a considerably long period. Hence the election commission has decided that no officer connected directly with elections should be allowed to continue in the present districts of posting if she or he is posted in her or his home district of she or he has completed three years in that district during last four years or would be completing three year on or before March 31, 2022 for the state of Manipur.
If any state/UT with a few number of districts, faces any difficulty in compliance of the ECI’s instruction, then it may refer the specific case with reasons to the commission through CEO for exemption and the commission would issue directions, if considered necessary, it added.
However, the instruction will not cover officers appointed for specific election duties like DEOs, Dy DEOs, RO/AROs, EROs/AEROs, officers appointed as nodal officers of any specific election works but also district officer like ADMs, SDMs, Dy Collector/joint collector, tehsildar, block development officers or any other officer of equal rank directly deployed for elections works.
The instruction will be applicable to the police department officers such as range IGS, DIGs, Commandants of state armed police, SSPs, SPs, additional SPs, sub-divisional head of police, SHOs, inspectors, sub-inspectors, RIs/sergeants majors or equivalent ranks, who are responsible for security arrangement or deployment of police forces in the district at election time.
The police officials who are posted in functional departments like computerization, special branch, training, etc. are not covered by the instruction.
The transfer orders in respect of officers/officials, who are engaged in the electoral rolls revision work, if any, during an election year should be implemented only after final publication of the electoral rolls, in consultation with the CEO concerned, the advisory also said.
In case of any need for transfer due to any extraordinary reasons, prior approval of the commission should be taken, the advisory stated. The advisory further instructed the chief secretary and the CEO of Manipur to furnish details regarding the compliance of the instruction to the commission by December 31, 2021.
