KATHMANDU, JUN 24 -
Upholding the Election Commission (EC) directive not to implement the transfer of two dozen senior police officials, citing a violation of the EC code of conduct, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has stopped their transfer for the time being, said a senior ministry official.
“The process of transferring police officials has been halted for now after the EC directed us not to implement the decision even if it had been taken,” said the official. Other officials approached by the Post also confirmed that the police officials are still working at their old offices and haven’t been transferred.
After criticism from all quarters that the transfers were against the spirit of free and fair elections and the EC’s code of conduct, the Home Ministry responded that it had only just begun the transfer process. Binod Singh, spokesperson for the Nepal Police, also said that transfers had not been put into effect. “We were not formally informed about the ministry’s decision to transfer police officials, so there is no question of implementing the decision,” Singh said.
On Monday, the government decided to transfer five AIGs and 19 DIGs, just before Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai left for Rio de Janeiro to attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Taking serious exception to the government’s decision to transfer high-ranking officials immediately after the announcement of CA elections, the EC had directed the government to scrap the transfers immediately.
In addition to the transfers, the government had also promoted seven SSPs of the Armed Police Force to DIGs and other Nepal Army and National Investigation officials, even after the EC issued the code of conduct.
EC has made it clear that the decision was taken after the constitutional body rejected the ministry’s proposal when it sought permission, on grounds that the transfers were against the code of conduct. Legally, the government has no right to transfer, promote or appoint government officials without EC’s consent after announcing fresh elections.
0 comments:
Post a Comment