The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided protection to officials involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five poll-bound States/UT against politically motivated transfer or posting. The ECI directed Chief Secretaries and police chiefs to obtain its approval before making any unavoidable reshuffles. Transfer orders for officers engaged in the SIR or Summary Revision of electoral roll work will only be issued post the final publication of the rolls, in consultation with the Chief Electoral Officer.
In case of any necessary transfers due to exceptional circumstances, the Commission’s approval must be sought, as per a circular issued by the ECI. These instructions were communicated by ECI Under Secretary Prafull Awasthi to CEOs and state officials of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. The circular emphasized that the CEO of the State/UT should be consulted before appointing replacements for transferred officials, adhering to the Commission’s policy.
The ECI mandated that transfer/posting of all covered officers should be completed, with Chief Secretaries and DGP required to submit compliance reports by February 28. The circular also extended these directives to officers of the Prohibition and Excise Department of the State, holding the rank of sub-inspector and above. Additionally, the ECI’s circular highlighted the Commission’s consistent policy of not posting officers directly involved in election conduct in their home districts or places of extended service tenure.
