ECI Clarifies No Change In Reporting Authority Of IT DG Seema Khanna

The Election Commission of India (ECI) clarified on Thursday that there has been no alteration in the reporting structure for its Director General (IT), Seema Khanna, following a recent work allocation decision. Khanna is now under the supervision of Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) Prakash Raj Purohit, rather than Senior Deputy Election Commissioner (Senior DEC) Manish Garg.

Despite this shift, election officials have assured that her reporting relationship remains unchanged. The controversy arose on July 28 when Manish Garg issued an order instructing Khanna to report directly to the Election Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and SS Sandhu.

Previously, Khanna reported to Deputy Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar, who had since been transferred to the Delhi government. Manish Garg's directive effectively eliminated the intermediate reporting level and brought Khanna directly under the Commission. However, Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi strongly opposed the arrangement, writing separate letters to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan expressing concerns over the responsibility allocation within the election body.

The proposed change was subsequently placed on hold. The ECI informed the Supreme Court that the order had not been implemented. Officials have since clarified that since the July order was never executed, Manish Garg continued to oversee Khanna's work after Sanjay Kumar's transfer to the Delhi government. With Prakash Raj Purohit recently appointed as DEC, the responsibility has been reassigned to him.

The situation has also sparked questions about the functioning of the ECI's IT division, which Khanna heads. This division manages the software used for maintaining electoral rolls. Concerns have been raised that restrictions imposed by the software have hindered the effectiveness of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in preparing electoral rolls.

There have also been allegations of excessive centralization of control by the IT division, which could limit the autonomy of officials at the grassroots level.