Retired DGPs move HC against EC transfer of Police Commsr

Chennai, Mar 17 (UNI) Two former Nadu Director Generals of Police (DGPs) of Tamil Nadu today moved the Madras High Court challenging the Election Commission of India's (EC) order, directing the transfer of City Police Commissioner R Nataraj for praising Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, when the model code of conduct was in force.

Even as the EC directed the state government to submit a panel of three names to appoint a successor to Mr Nataraj by this evening, former DGPs W I Dawaram and Pon Paramaguru filed Public Interest Litigations (PIL), seeking to restrain the EC and the state government from tranferring Mr Nataraj.

When the petitions were taken up for hearing this afternoon, Advocate General N R Chandran told the court that the state government too had filed a petition and it was yet to be numbered.

The bench, comprising Mr Justice K P Misra and Mr Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifullah, then said it would hear the case in the evening.

Meanwhile, the Advocate General should get the petition filed by the state Chief Secretary numbered and Mr G Rajagopal senior counsel, appearing for the EC, should check with the Commission whether it could put off the deadline it had set for submitting the panel of names by the government, the bench said.

The retired police officers contended that Mr Nataraj's remarks in praise of Ms Jayalalithaa on the occasion of International Women's day were personal views and did violate the model code of conduct.

They added that the model code would come into effect only after issue of notification, scheduled for April 13. On March one, the EC had only announced the dates for the elections, they said and it had no power to transfer an official before issuance of notification.

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