Election Commission Transfers Dhenkanal DM & Deogarh, Cuttack Rural SPs

Bhubaneswar, Mar 21: The Election Commission of India (ECI) transferred some District Magistrates (DMs)and Superintendents of Police (SPs), who are non-cadre officers posted at leadership positions in four States of Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha and West Bengal.

The posts of DM and SP in the district are for officers from the Indian Administrative and Indian Police Service, respectively.

The ECI ordered the transfer of the DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural in Odisha.
Besides, SPs of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts in Gujarat, SSPs of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural, and Malerktla districts in Punjab, and DM of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman and Birbhum districts of West Bengal have been transferred.

Additionally, the Commission has also directed for transfer of SSP Bathinda in Punjab and SP Sonitpur in Assam.

The Commission said that this action is a demonstration of the Commission's dedication and promise to uphold fairness and preserve the integrity of the electoral process, a sentiment repeatedly emphasized by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

The decision was taken after the commission convened a meeting chaired by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

Under the directive, all respective state governments have been instructed to promptly transfer non-encadred officers from their current roles as DM and SP/SSP, with immediate effect, and submit a compliance report to the Commission.

Earlier on March 18, in a decisive move towards upholding the principles of free, fair and transparent elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued orders for the removal of Home Secretaries in six states namely Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.