Andhra government yet to transfer SPs, collectors of Guntur and Chittoor

AMARAVATI: The state government is yet to relieve the district collectors and SPs of Guntur and Chittoor from duties, a day after the directive issued by state election commissioner N Ramesh Kumar.
The SEC had asked for immediate removal of district collectors Samuel Anand Kumar (Guntur) and Narayan Bharath Gupta (Chittoor), and SPs Vijaya Rao (Guntur rural) and Senthil Kumar (Chittoor) for failing to contain violence during the local body elections process.The SEC also directed the government to transfer at least five DSPs and suspend the Macherla inspector.

However, till Monday evening, the government had not implemented the SEC’s orders. Meanwhile, chief secretary Nilam Sawheny wrote a letter to the SEC on Monday to reconsider its decision to postpone the elections.
Information and public relations minister Perni Nani told TOI that the government will take a call on the issue after consulting the advocate general and senior officials. “The SEC’s directive has many contradictions. He says coronovirus is the reason for the postponement of the elections. In such a case, where is the need for the transfer of officials?” asked Nani.
The minister further said there is another contradiction about continuing the model code of conduct when the elections have been postponed. “If the elections were postponed on natural calamity grounds, there should not be any code to handle the crisis. We are taking legal opinion whether the SEC has the power to transfer officials when there is no model code of conduct in vogue,” said Nani, while adding that they have every right to question the SEC’s decisions as they are “politically motivated”.
Sources said the government might not implement the SEC’s instructions as it has already filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the decision. The government appealed in its petition to direct the SEC to continue the election process as per the original schedule in order to save public money and effectively launch the battle against coronavirus. The government is contending that the presence of public representatives at local bodies would help it spread awareness among the general public and take measures to quarantine people.
Chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has already raised his objection to the SEC’s decision to remove the collectors and the SPs. “The SEC had declared that it is postponing the elections keeping in view public safety due to coronavirus. The same SEC has instructed the government to transfer the collectors and SPs. There is no logic in the decision,” said Nani.
Meanwhile, Guntur collector Samuel Anand Kumar kept himself away from attending official programmes on Monday. Similarly, rural SP Vijaya Rao too was not seen in official programmes as the weekly public grievance programme Spandana has been postponed due to the model code of conduct.