Cabinet Secretary had copied acknowledgement sent to letters by two ECs to CEC for ‘information: RTI reply
· India · The Hindu, Times of India
Election Commissioners S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote to Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan on July 29 regarding the working of Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg. The Cabinet Secretariat sent an acknowledgment with a copy to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for 'information,' noting the letters were from ECs in their individual capacity and cannot be treated as formal ECI communication. A Cabinet Secretariat file dated August 3 noted Mr. Garg issued work allocation orders without discussing revisions with the commission or officers, despite repeated instructions. The RTI plea was filed by retired Commodore Lokesh Batra.
Why it matters
The exchange highlights checks on the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner's authority and the constitutional insulation of the Election Commission from executive interference, with implications for how transfer and posting orders are issued within the poll panel.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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