BENGALURU: Following the controversy over the transfer of Hassan Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri and two other DCs, the state government has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking concurrence for the transfer of officials.
According to state Election Commission (EC), Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has written to ECI requesting it to approve the transfers.
Sanjiv Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, told The New Indian Express that the letter was received by the EC on Wednesday. “We have received the letter seeking concurrence. Since, we have not received the full content of the letter, it is not clear what reasons the state has given to the ECI to approve the transfer order,” he said.
The state EC has received only one page of the letter sent by the state, and it is unclear whether they have sent enclosures explaining the reasons for the transfer, he added. During elections, all such communications are received by the ECI within a day. Therefore, it is likely that ECI has received and processing it.
“The letter will be sent back here for our observations. Only then can we know about the reasons provided by the State to transfer the officials,” he said.
EC directions ignored?
EC officials had apprised principal secretaries of DPAR and Revenue departments regarding the rules that prohibit the transfer of officials on election duty — such as preparation of electoral rolls, say sources. “It appears that they ignored the instructions and failed to apprise the higher-ups,” the source said.
According to sources in Chief Minister’s Office, the letter written by the state government to DPAR will seek concurrence by stating that the officers were required for ‘administrative necessities’. The transfer of Hassan DC Rohini Sindhuri and two other DCs on January 22 was withheld by the Election Commission the following day. In a letter to the state government on January 23, Sanjiv Kumar had asked to withhold the transfer order as it did not comply with the instructions of ECI.
‘Code of Conduct applies for DC also’
While the state government has dismissed the ‘Code of Conduct’ reason provided by Election Commission, as it withheld the transfer of IAS officers, Election Commission officials insist that such code exists even when officials are working on electoral rolls. Chief Election Officer Sanjiv Kumar said that the
‘Code of Conduct’ applies for all officials working on the revision of electoral rolls.
They include District Election Officer (who is Deputy Commissioner), electoral registration officer and assistant electoral registration officer. “Once they are on deputation with the EC for such work, they are under
EC’s disciplinary control.
Code of Conduct applies to these officers during the period, unlike the Code of Conduct declared after elections,” he said.