AP locks horns with ECI over transfer of 3 police officials

The Andhra Pradesh government Wednesday Wednesday filed a petition in the High Court against the Election Commissions directive ordering the transfer of state Director General of Intelligence and two district Superintendents of Police.

Though the government immediately complied with the ECI directive on Tuesday night, it filed a plea challenging the order, even as the ruling Telugu Desam Party cried foul.

It cancelled Tuesday night's order and issued a fresh government order Wednesday afternoon retaining the DG Intelligence in his post while transferring out the two SPs.

The ECI order took a political hue with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu protesting the manner in which the intelligence chief and two district SPs were ordered to be transferred and kept out of election duties.

Camping in Kurnool for electioneering, Naidu dashed off a seven-page letter to the ECI alleging that its action was "prima facie hasty, biased, undemocratic and suffers from the principles of natural justice."
The government, on its part, hurriedly issued a separate order on Wednesday afternoon designating certain police officers from the DGP to the rank of a constable