EC Restores Oversight of Top IT Officer Seema Khanna
· India · Indian Express
Three months after a work allocation dispute, the Election Commission of India reinstated oversight of Director General (IT) Seema Khanna, requiring her to route IT files through Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma in New Delhi. The move reverses a July 28 order that had placed IT and ICT under Khanna’s direct reporting to the Commission, following concerns raised by Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan. The Election Commission clarified the July 28 order was never implemented despite the reported concerns, as Khanna had continued using Sanjay Kumar’s former role as the link officer for IT functions. The order specifies Khanna must now submit files through the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, restoring the prior reporting structure that existed before the July 28 adjustment.
Why it matters
The reversal ensures IT governance oversight within the Election Commission, directly impacting the functioning of the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system and election software integrity, which affects millions of Indian voters and election credibility.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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