Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 11: The decks have been cleared for the much-awaited transfers and postings of Deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners ahead of crucial Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as Election Commission of India has clarified that the ban on transfers of officers connected with the Summary Revision of electoral rolls will apply from July 17, 2014 only.
Keeping in view the clarification issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the State Cabinet, which is meeting next week, will order transfers and postings of Deputy Commissioners as beyond July 17, Government would not be able to shift any of the Deputy Commissioner, who also happens to be District Election Officers, till October 1, 2014, the date fixed for the final publication of the electoral rolls.
Authoritative sources told EXCELSIOR that following issuance of schedule of Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India vide its letter No. 23/JK/2014/NS-1/62 dated June 13, 2014, the State Government was under the impression that it would not be able to order transfers and postings of Deputy Commissioners ahead of Assembly elections as the Summary Revision would come to an end on October 1, 2014 and by that time Model Code of Conduct would have come into effect.
On June 28, 2014, the Chief Secretary Mohd Iqbal Khandey wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir, Umang Narula seeking clarification vis-à-vis transfer of Deputy Commissioners, sources said, adding on July 3, Chief Electoral Officer wrote to the Election Commission of India and even forwarded the clarification sought by the Chief Secretary.
They informed that on July 7, Kumar Rajeev, Under Secretary in the Election Commission of India vide Communication No.23/JK/ 2014/NS-I written to Chief Electoral Officer, J&K cleared the clarification sought by the State Chief Secretary.
In the communication, the Election Commission of India has mentioned that as per the policy of the Commission, the ban on transfer of District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers apply from the date of beginning of Summary Revision.
“Since the Special Summary Revision process in J&K will begin from July 17, 2014, which is the date of publication of draft roll, therefore the ban on transfer of such officers related to electoral roll revision, will apply from July 17, 2014 only till final publication of the electoral rolls”, sources said.
“Now, the decks have been cleared for the transfer of Deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners ahead of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir”, sources said, adding “since the Government has been left with only five days, the State Cabinet, which is meeting next week, will order transfers and postings of Deputy Commissioners”.
In response to a question, sources said, “the Chief Secretary’s Secretariat has started exercise vis-à-vis transfer of Deputy Commissioners in consultation with the Chief Minister”.
As per the Election Commission of India notification, the claims and objections on the electoral rolls will be received from July 17 to August 8 and the same would be disposed of on August 30, 2014.
The updating of database, merging of photographs, updating the control tables and preparation and printing of supplement would be conducted between September 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014 and on October 1, 2014 the electoral rolls would be finally published.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel