Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 21: Acting on the directions of the Election Commission of India, the Government today issued a detailed set of guidelines for the Government officers to be adopted during forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the order carrying the guidelines.
The GAD order directed that no Department would henceforth transfer any KAS officer at its own. If such transfers were considered necessary, the Department would submit proposal to the GAD.
It said no officer connected with the elections, directly or indirectly, should be allowed to continue in his home districts of places, where they have served for a long.
“No officer should be posted in his/her home district. If he/she has completed the stay of three years in that district during last four years or would be completing three years on or before 31.5.2014, they should also be transferred. However, the order would not apply to the officers retiring within the next six months,’’ the GAD said, adding that while calculating the period of three years, promotion to a post within the district should be counted.
It said: “the Chief Electoral Officer should be consulted while the new officers in place of present incumbents, who stand transferred. The copies of the transfer orders should be provided to the CEO’’.
It added that the transfer orders in respect of officers/officials, who were engaged in electoral rolls revision work would be implemented only after final publication of electoral rolls in consultation with the CEO. However, the officers/officials against whom the Election Commission had recommended disciplinary action or who had been charged for any lapse in election duty or election related work in the past wouldn’t be assigned any election duty.
The Government officials against whom a criminal case is pending shall not be associated with election work or duty, the GAD order said.
“The officers/officials, who are transferred in pursuance of the instructions mentioned by the Election Commission would be asked to move physically out of the district immediately on receipt of transfer order. They wouldn’t be allowed to circumvent the objective by proceeding on leave,’’ the order said.
It added: “the instructions not only cover those officers, who were appointed for specific election duties like District Election Officers (DEOs), Deputy DEOs, Returning Officers and Assistant ROs but also the other district officers like Additional District Magistrates, Deputy Collectors, Sub Divisional Magistrates, Tehsildars, BDOs or any other officer proposed to be deployed for election work’’.
The Government order said these instructions have also been made applicable to the officers of an above the rank of Inspector in the Police Department, who are responsible for deployment of police force in the district during the elections.
“The police officers of the level of Sub Inspectors should not be posted in their home Assembly constituencies and should not only be transferred out of their police sub divisions but also out of Assembly segment if they have completed a tenure of three years during last four years in that sub division,’’ the order said.
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