Poll battle: EC revokes deputation of Kolkata Police Commissioners as Central Observers

After sending ten IPS officers as observers to poll bound states, the Election Commission of India (ECI), on Thursday evening, has deputed six more Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of West Bengal cadres on deputation as central poll observers in other poll-bound states. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised serious objection about the ongoing reshuffle for the last four days.

The six IAS officers who have been deputed to Tamil Nadu are Preeti Goel (2013 batch IAS), Siyad N (2014 batch), Arvind Kumar Meena (2010 batch), Rani A Ayesha (2009 batch), P Ulaganathan (2006 batch), and Shama Parveen (2013 batch). All six of them have been deputed as central observers to Tamil Nadu, which is also heading for polls in April.

Ulaganathan is the secretary to the state panchayat affairs and rural department. He is also the secretary to the West Bengal Electronics Testing and Standards Department under the Department of Information Technology & Electronics.


Shama, on the other hand, is the secretary of the North Bengal Development Department. In addition, she has the additional responsibility of Principal Secretary of GTA.

West Bengal Chief Minister has expressed serious grievance over the ongoing reshuffle for the last four days, following announcement of election schedule.

Banerjee has said in her letter to CEC: "I am constrained to conclude that these actions reflect deliberate attempt to take cover under Article 324 while creating conditions that could push the State of West Bengal towards administrative instab and disorder. Such biased, hasty and unilateral decisions are unpreceden and do not augur well for a healthy democracy."

She further said, "While the State is heading towards elections, the elected government continues to function and cannot be undermined or rendered ineffective by any authority. Actions of this nature risk creating an atmosphere akin to emergency or indirect central rule, which is deeply concerning an unfortunate. They undermine the spirit of cooperative federalism and the foundational principles of our democratic polity."

"I once again urge the Election Commission of India to refrain from such arbitrary, unilateral and biased actions, which are against public interest and contrary to the democratic ethos of our nation," CM said.

"It is well established that, by virtue of Article 324 of the Constitution of India, read with Section 13CC of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Section 28A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, officers engaged in election-related duties are deemed to be on deputation to the ECI during the election period," Banerjee said in her letter.

"However, over the past four days, the ECI has, most unfortunately and unilaterally, replaced several senior officers of the State, including the Chief Secretary, the Secretary (Home and Hill Affairs), the Director General and Inspector General of Police, as well as other senior police and civil officers. Several District Magistrates-cum-DEOs, Superintendents of Police and Commissioners of Police have also been transferred, and many senior officers like Principal Secretaries of Food and PWD have been deployed on observers' duty, causing serious disruption to the administration," She said in her letter.

"In another inexplicable move, the ECI has deployed 15 senior police officers from the State as observers in other poll-bound States, without any consultation with the State Government and without providing prior training or orientation, as is the established practice. It is strange that a day before their deployment as Observers, they were removed and deemed in-eligible for any election related duties, yet in stark contradiction to its own directions, ECI appointed them as election observers in other states. This hastiness and unilateral allocation of duties is arbitrary, amounts to a misuse of authority and reflects a serious overreach by the ECI. It constitutes a direct interference in the affairs of the State, in disregard of the constitutional framework under Article 324," Banerjee said.