JOIN USThe Karnataka High Court has rapped the state government on numerous occasions for political interference in the transfer and postings of public servants, but the malaise continues unabated. In the latest instance, the court came down heavily on the BBMP commissioner for transferring an executive engineer based on a recommendation letter from the chief minister. “It is clear and evident that the commissioner is unable to discharge his duties freely. The court may have to consider that he is unfit to handle that post,” the bench observed. Though the state has a transfer policy in place, the guidelines are followed more in the breach, with extraneous considerations playing a key role in postings. Political interference has for long been institutionalised in the state as it is a common practice to transfer officers based on request letters from MLAs. Often, these letters come at a cost, depending on how “lucrative” the posting is. This practice has a negative impact on effective administration and discipline, as the officers are beholden to the MLAs.
Though the chief secretary and director general of police enjoy a stable term, all other officers are at the mercy of the whims of their political masters. The Supreme Court had passed specific orders that police transfers should be effected only by the Police Establishment Board (PEB), but this continues to be ignored. Though the High Court had last year sought an assurance that the government and PEB would not be influenced by recommendations by elected representatives, indiscriminate transfers continue. Of the many such instances was the transfer of Bengaluru Police Commissioner Alok Kumar who had been only three months in that office. Such premature transfers, just when an officer is about to get a grip on his department, has a telling effect on policing. Transfers have turned out to be a racket, with factors like caste, proximity to politicians in power and cash taking precedence over administrative considerations. Besides, frequent transfers also adversely impact the personal lives of the officers, especially the education of their children.
The government is perhaps not taking the court seriously because, so far, no bureaucrat or politician has been sent to jail for wilful disobedience of its several orders on transfers. It is high time the government introduced a transparent transfer mechanism which puts an end to the present arbitrariness and treats employees of all levels, including those who are not politically connected, with fairness. The first step in this direction would be to immediately stop the practice of effecting transfers on the recommendation of elected representatives.