MUMBAI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has expressed dissatisfaction with the state govt's efforts to exempt senior police officers, including a joint commissioner of police, all serving in the city police, from being transferred as per rules. In a recent letter sent last week, the ECI instructed the state govt to transfer all officers involved in the election duty process who have been serving in the same revenue district for more than three years. In addition to that, the ECI also asked that the police inspectors should not be transferred from one revenue district to another if both come under the same police commissionerate, like Mumbai.
So, the city police need to transfer such police inspectors out of the city instead of from Island city to Mumbai suburbs. If the ECI’s directive is followed, some senior-most police officers may be transferred out of Mumbai along with several police station-level officers of Mumbai police . However, it is expected that the state govt might try to secure an exemption for at least the topmost senior officials.
A senior govt official said, "Compliances have been in place for the rest of the state except Mumbai. There is a large issue involved related to the transfer of a large number of police officers at the police station level and replacing them, which is difficult in a short span of time. So, the state may ask for an exemption, including for the senior officers , which may get resolved before the announcement of the election da.
