CM overrules IGP, gets officer transferred

CM overrules IGP, gets officer transferred
Preetu Nair, TNN
PANAJI: In a blatant act of government
interference in police functioning, the state government on Friday ordered the transfer of SDPO (Panaji)
DySP Sammy Tavares to Mapusa. This despite the fact that the police had initially refused to transfer the officer as, according to rules laid down by the Supreme Court, he had not completed two years in his current posting nor with the elections approaching, was he posted in his home district.

In a note to the government on February 24, 2009 (a copy of which is with TOI) IGP Kishan Kumar said the, “Chief minister, Goa, has desired that Sammy Tavares, DySP, SDPO Panaji should be transferred as SDPO Mapusa-I and Gajanan Prabhudesai, who stands transferred as SDPO Mapusa-I may be transferred as SDPO Panaji.”

The note explains that Tavares’ case “does not fall within the guidelines laid down by Election Commission of India and therefore, his case was not considered for transfer” nor had he “completed two years in the present post and as per Supreme Court guidelines laid down in the case of Prakash Singh v/s Union of India, which held that a field officer (district SP, SDPO sub-division or police station in-charge) should not be transferred before the completion of two years unless there are certain special situations like complaints against the officer resulting in a departmental enquiry. Tavares does not attract the guidelines of Supreme Court also”.

28 Feb 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition