RTI reveals Cabinet Secretariat sent election commissioners’ letters to CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reached out to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan on July 29, requesting action against an officer within the Election Commission of India. The Cabinet Secretariat acknowledged their letters, but deemed taking any action as "inappropriate" and "interference" in the functioning of the Constitutional body.

The decision was based on a detailed review of the communications between the ECs and the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg, who was assigned additional responsibilities while another Deputy EC was on leave. The dispute arose when Garg issued a work allocation order without prior discussion or approval from the Commission or the affected officers, contradicting previous instructions.

The Cabinet Secretariat noted that Garg was an all-India service officer appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, and his conduct would be governed by the Election Commission's rules and guidelines. Despite the ECs' requests for action, any intervention at this stage could be seen as interference, as the Commission operates as a multi-member Constitutional body aiming for unanimous decision-making.

The Cabinet Secretary acknowledged the ECs' concerns and informed the appropriate authorities, ensuring transparency and maintaining the Commission's independence.