Right To Information (RTI) and social activist from the state Ajay Dube has alleged that the recommendations for transfers of police officials made by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s office just ahead of Assembly election 2013 were serious violation of Supreme Court order. Further he has demanded constitution of State Civil Service Board.
Dube in a statement here on Sunday claimed that the documents obtained by him through RTI revealed that contrary to the apex court order dated September 22, 2006 that the transfers of the police officers would only be done by the Police Establishment Board while the State Government could make some amendments in them, the chief minister is deciding that who would be posted where just for taking election benefits.
“A note sheet reveals that the BJP MP from Satna Ganesh Singh sent a proposal for the transfer of an officer and the Chief Minister accepted that and it was sent to the home department by the secretary of Chief Minister Gulshan Bamra,” Dube said.
Dube furthers aid that the recommendations also reveal that the Government makes appointments and transfers in institutions investigating corruption cases including lokayukta Police and Economic Offences Bureau (EOB) making these parrots further weak.
When these officials would get postings and transfers on political recommendations than how could they work impartially, he added.
He said that where the home department dared to provide information of some cases the other department
of the State General Administration Department (GAD) denied providing information that how many recommendations for transferring Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and State Administrative Service (SAS) were received
by it.
We applied to get this information in February 2013 to GAD and after a year the department awakened and crushing the RTI law replied in January 2014 saying that the information desired is confidential and is not in the public interest hence it could not be shared, he added.
The RTI activist said that the information was hided for a year so that the people could not know that ahead of
election which officer was made Collector who also happens to be the district returning officer and which officer was made the SDM who also happens to be the returning officer on whose recommendations.
This reflects that in how bad shape is the RTI in Madhya Pradesh, he added.
He said that we demand that the State Government should act on SC order dated October 31, 2013 and the instructions thereafter by the Government of India and immediately constitute State Civil Service Board.