Cabinet Secretariat declined action on complaints against EC officer: RTI
What's the story
The Cabinet Secretariat refused to take action on complaints against a senior Election Commission officer. The complaints were filed separately by two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, against Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg. The details of the case emerged from documents released under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, news agency PTI reported.
Allegations
Allegations against Garg
The Election Commissioners alleged that Garg had changed work allocations among senior officers without consulting the Commission or concerned officials.
The Cabinet Secretariat said the letters were sent in individual capacities and not as official communications from the Commission.
It stressed that taking action on such letters could be seen as interference in a constitutional body's functioning.
Constitutional body
Election Commission constitutional body
The Cabinet Secretariat reiterated that the Election Commission is a constitutional body and should function independently without executive interference.
It cited Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which mandates that differences of opinion within the Commission should be resolved by a majority.
Clarification
Why did election commissioners approach Cabinet Secretary?
The Election Commission clarified that the work redistribution orders issued by Garg were not implemented after directions from Sandhu and Joshi.
The Commission stressed that these letters were about an officer on deputation and did not pertain to policy matters or IT division functioning.
This controversy has raised questions over why the Election Commissioners approached the Cabinet Secretary instead of using internal mechanisms.
Public debate
Yogendra Yadav and Ashok Lavasa react to controversy
Political analyst Yogendra Yadav questioned why Sandhu and Joshi didn't seek a meeting of the full Election Commission or approach the President if needed.
Former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa also questioned the circumstances behind the move and said the Commission needed to clarify the full facts.
The Cabinet Secretariat suggested acknowledging both letters for future reference but stressed that any action without official communication could be inappropriate and viewed as interference in constitutional body functioning.