No poll officer will be allowed to continue in home district during elections: Punjab CEO

Officers directly connected with polls shall not be allowed to continue in their home districts in the wake of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Stating this, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer S KarunaRaju said if an official has completed three years in respective district during last four years or will be completing three years on or before March 31, 2019 then he or she will not be able to continue with the present posting.

The directions were passed as part of transfers and postings criteria for officials of the state government issued by the Election Commission.

The directions have been conveyed to the state government to implement till February 28, he said. While implementing these instructions, the concerned departments of the state government should ensure the officials are not posted in their home districts.

It should also be ensured that no district election officer, returning officer, police inspector, sub-inspector or above rank is posted back or allowed to continue in the assembly constituency, district where he or she was posted during the general or by-elections held prior to May 2017.

If anyone faces any difficulty in compliance with the above instructions, then it may refer the specific case with reasons to the commission through the CEO for exemption and the commission would issue directions, if considered necessary.

These instructions shall also be applicable to police department officers such as Range IGs, DIGs, Commandants of State Armed Police, SSPs, SPs, Additional SPs, Sub-Divisional Head of Police, among others, he said.

These instructions do not apply to the officers posted in the state headquarters of the department concerned.

It is further directed that the officers against whom the commission had recommended disciplinary action in the past and which are pending or which resulted in a penalty or the officers who have been charged for any lapse in any election or election related work in the past, shall not be assigned any election duty.