Mumbai: Hours after the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s move to remove Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla on Monday, the state Congress felt it was not enough and demanded that she must be kept off all Assembly election-related duties.
In a letter to the ECI, Congress state President Nana F. Patole said that while shunting out Shukla was appreciated, also asked why there was such a long delay in doing so.
He also urged the ECI not to give her any poll-related responsibilities, claiming that Shukla’s service now stands automatically terminated.
“Given that the service extension was specifically granted for the role of DGP, and was not applicable to any other role, it logically follows that upon vacating the DGP position, the officer (Shukla)’s service automatically terminates,” said Patole in the letter.
Accordingly, any reassignment or appointment to another position would be legally impermissible as the service extension (in February 2024) was strictly post-specific and has now concluded, added the Congress state chief.
Patole called upon the ECI not to appoint Shukla to any other position in order to adhere to the legal framework and reinforce public trust in the institution.
Slamming Shukla for her controversial tenure with several questionable actions taken in her previous postings that allegedly favoured the ruling (MahaYuti) alliance, Patole mentioned the issue of illegal phone-tapping of several Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders.
Despite this, a probe and criminal cases lodged against her, Patole said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis “illegally extended her term for two years for their benefit”.
Expressing doubts over ensuring free, fair and transparent elections under Shukla, the Congress had shot off letters on September 24, met an ECI delegation in Mumbai on September 27, again wrote on Oct. 31 and finally after a long delay, she was shifted from her post, he said.
In a major development, the ECI transferred Shukla – on the last day of the withdrawal of candidatures for the November 20 Assembly elections, while another officer is likely to be appointed soon in the crucial post.
The MVA allies clamoured for removing Shukla and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said last week that “even now the phones of Opposition leaders are being snooped upon”.
In January, before the Lok Sabha elections, the MahaYuti government had appointed Shukla, an IPS officer of the 1988 batch, as the first woman DGP of the state.
A month later (Feb. 2024), the MahaYuti granted Shukla a two-year term extension which was approved by the Centre, while the Opposition cried foul over the issue.
–IANS
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