Transfer of DGP Impacts Police Morale, Says TN Government

Strategic Insights -

The Tamil Nadu government told the Madras High Court that the Election Commission's order shifting DGP Letika Saran ahead of the April 13 Assembly polls has had a significant impact on the morale of the police force. The government argued that such directives could have been passed in consultation with the state administration, and that the transfer of the DGP, as well as other top officials, has had a detrimental effect on their morale. The government also expressed concerns that the unilateral orders by the Election Commission may be self-defeating and could lead to further friction between the government and the EC.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Tamil Nadu government has submitted an affidavit to the Madras High Court stating that the transfer of DGP Letika Saran has impacted the morale of the police force.
  • The government argued that the Election Commission's order could have been passed in consultation with the state administration to avoid "friction between the government and EC".
  • The affidavit also contended that EC's "unilateral" order based on their perception of individual officers should not form part of their service record or be a disqualification from future service.
  • The government cited the case of IPS officer Asra Garg, who was posting to Madurai despite being unwell, as an example of how a consultative process could have avoided such situations.
  • The affidavit stated that DGP Letika Saran had "graciously" offered to go on leave to avoid friction between the government and EC.

Statistics:

  • None explicitly mentioned in the article.

Sources:

  • PTI (Press Trust of India), March 29, 2011