Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Election Commission has asked the Chief Secretary of Meghalaya to transfer all officers not connected directly with elections from their present posting.
In a letter to the State Chief Secretary on November 4, the Election Commission said that it has been following a consistent policy that officers directly connected with conduct of elections in an election-going State are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for a considerably long period.
The letter was also issued to the chief secretaries of Nagaland and Tripura.
While the term of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is due to expire on March 15, the assemblies of Nagaland and Tripura will expire on March 12 and March 22 respectively.
“Hence, the Commission has decided that no officer connected directly with elections shall be allowed to continue in the present district (revenue district) of posting if she/he is posted in her/his home district and if she/he has completed three years in that district during last four years or would be completing three years on or before 31st March, 2023. While calculating the period of three years, promotion to a post within the district is to be counted,” the Election Commission said in the letter.
The Commission also said that the State Chief Electoral Officer should be consulted while posting the persons in place of the present incumbents who stand transferred.
The Election Commission also said that police sub-inspectors and above should not be posted in their home district. “If a police sub-inspector has completed or would be completing a tenure of three years out of four years on or before the cutoff date in a police sub-division, then he should be transferred out to a police sub-division which does not fall in the same Assembly constituency. If that is not possible due to the small size of a district, then he/she should be transferred out of the district,” the letter said.
The poll panel further directed that transfer or posting of all officers covered under the above instructions should be done immediately and compliance reports by Chief Secretary and Director General of Police with details of action obtained from the concerned departments and offices of the State government should be furnished to the Commission by December 1.
These instructions shall cover not only officers appointed for specific election duties like District Election Officers, Deputy District Election Officers, Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, officers appointed as nodal officers of any specific election works but also district officers like Additional District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Block Development Officers or any other officer of equal rank directly deployed for election works.
These instructions shall also be applicable to the police department officers such as Range Inspector Generals, Deputy Inspector Generals, Commandants of State Armed Police, Special Superintendents of Police, Superintendents of Police, Additional Superintendents of Police, Sub-Divisional Head of Police, Officers-in-Charge, Inspectors, Sub-Inspector, Sergeant 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 computerisation, special branch, training, etc are not covered under these instructions.
The transfer policy will not be applicable to officers posted in the State headquarters of the department concerned or officers who are not directly connected with elections like doctors, engineers, teachers/principals etc.
“However, if there are specific complaints of political bias or prejudice against any such government officer, which on enquiry, are found to be substantiated, then CEO/ECI may order not only the transfer of such official but also appropriate departmental action against the said officer,” the Election Commission said.
The officers appointed as Sector Officer or Zonal Magistrate involved in election duties are not covered under these instructions. “However, the observers, Chief Electoral Officer, District Election Officers and Returning Officers should keep a close watch on their conduct to ensure that they are fair and non-partisan in the performance of their duties,” the Commission said.
