The war of words between Chief Election Commissioner versus Mamata Banerjee has been going on for a long time. TMC has given impeachment notice against Gyanesh Kumar. As soon as the code of conduct was imposed in Bengal, the first thing the Commission did was remove the senior IPS officer, the state DGP, and the senior IAS officer, the Chief Secretary. After that it reached Home Secretary, Commissioner, IG, DIG, SP and DM. So far, more than 30 IAS and IPS officers have been transferred.
What is the impact if EC removes an officer?
If the Election Commission removes an officer from his post during elections, it has an impact. His career gets tarnished. If EC transfers, it is believed that the officer was not impartial towards the ruling party, which has a negative impact on his image. This transfer can be effective only until the election process is over, but it remains recorded in the career record.
The officer can appeal against the commission’s decision
Under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, if an officer commits negligence, bias, or dereliction of duty in the electoral process, the ECI can remove, suspend, or appoint someone else in his place. This action is mainly to ensure fairness of the election, but it can have a serious impact on the career of the officer, the officer can also appeal against the decision of the Commission.
Impact on promotion
That officer can never work in the Election Commission. Once removed during any election, he cannot hold an important election post in any election. For example, if a DM is removed by the Election Commission during the elections, then he cannot hold the post of DM in any election. Apart from this, promotion is also affected.
Also read: Election Commission transferred many officers including DGP-IG in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee got angry, know what he said?
