'He may have quit over non-approval of transfer recommendations'

Advocate and RTI activist B Vinod said on Wednesday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s disapproval of recommendation letters pertaining to the transfer of police officers by Excise Minister Satish Jarkiholi could be one of the reasons for the latter’s resignation.

Speaking to mediapersons, he alleged that Jarkiholi had submitted 85 recommendation letters to the chief minister from June 2013 to September 2014, seeking transfer of police officers. Of them, 80 such letters had been approved. The minister had sought the transfer of police officers below the rank of DySP. This is a clear violation of Supreme Court’s verdict on transfers.

It may be recalled here that the court in 2006 had ordered that the governments and ministers should take suitable steps to ensure that transfers in police department are free from political influence. As part of reformation in police department, the Police Establishment Board was set up in the State in 2009. But the Congress-led government has brought an amendment to the Act and thus gained control over the transfers of officers in the department.

It states that after a minimum tenure of one year in a police station, an officer is elgible for transfer. Earlier, it was two years. As per the latest amendment, the government will nominate members to the PEB. Earlier, three officers not below ADGP rank would automatically qualify to be on the PEB alongside the State police chief. In this way, the government has violated the Supreme Court order, he alleged and demanded unbiased inquiry into the transfer issue.

He said that several MLAs, ministers had written 750 recommendation letters seeking transfer of officers in various departments. Of them, 489 related to police department had been approved.

SP’s resignation sought

Leader of Opposition in the Council K S Eshwarappa has demanded the resignation of Superintendent of Police of Belagavi Ravikanthegowda for reportedly meeting Jarkiholi and asking him to withdraw his resignation.