New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Departmental inquiry has been initiated against three senior IPS officers in Madhya Pradesh over an alleged case of illegal and unauthorised movement of cash during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, sources said on Tuesday.

The inquiry is a follow up to a probe started at the behest of the Election Commission, they said.

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During the last Lok Sabha polls, the three police officers were allegedly found to be part of a nexus involved in unauthorised and unaccounted cash transactions during the election process.

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In April 2019, as part of an Election Commission-mandated monitoring of cash movement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes had carried out searches and found a nexus for illegal cash movement.

The sources said a recovery of more than Rs 14 crore was made and it was established that these officers had a role in the movement of that amount.

The Election Commission (EC) had written to the Centre and the state government to initiate an inquiry and take appropriate steps against the officers.

The sources asserted that in cases related to election-related crimes, the EC has the mandate to order a probe even after the model code of conduct is lifted.

Showing zero-tolerance towards any misconduct during elections, the poll panel had summoned the chief secretary, the chief electoral officer and senior officers of Madhya Pradesh in December 2020, and since then, it has been following up on the inquiry.

The institution of inquiry under the All India Service Rules and the serious charges being pursued would prove a big deterrence against any neglect of duty or misconduct by officers during elections, the sources felt.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)