EC for transfer of Chennai Police Commissioner

New Delhi, Apr 15 (UNI) The Election Commission today directed the Tamil Nadu government to forward by April 18 a panel of three IPS officers for replacing Chennai Police Commissioner R Nataraj.

This is the second time the EC is seeking the transfer of Mr Nataraj following his remark that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was an ''ideal woman'' to which the DMK and its Union Environment and Forests A Raja had taken exception.

The commission had asked the state government to remove the police official early last month, but the Madras High Court ruled that the EC's order was ''not binding'' before the issue of nofification for the May 8 assembly election.

The EC has since challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court.

The fresh directive of the EC comes two days after the issue of notification for the assembly election. Nominations opened in the state on April 13 with the issue of the notification by the state Governor.

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