SIR in Bengal: The Election Commission has suspended seven officials in West Bengal with immediate effect for gross misconduct, dereliction of duty and misuse of statutory powers in connection with the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise. The measure was taken using its powers under the Electoral Act,
All the suspended officials were working as Assistant Election Registration Officers for the EC.
Booth level registration officers and voters and their assistants are civil servants who work on deputation to the EC to update the electoral roll and assist in the conduct of elections.
The electoral body directed the chief secretary of state to initiate disciplinary proceedings against these officials immediately.
Quoting the orders, EC officials said that the election body has directed Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravarty to initiate disciplinary proceedings against these officials by their respective cadre controlling authorities immediately without any delay and inform the Commission accordingly.
The EC and the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal are at loggerheads over the ongoing special intensive revision of the electoral roll.
Earlier this month, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared in the Supreme Court during a key hearing on petitions challenging the Election Commission’s ongoing special intensive review (SIR) of electoral rolls in the vote-restricted state.
Thechief ministerhe also filed an interim application for leave to appear and argue in person.
Election Commission officials met West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty on Friday. The probe panel has set a new deadline to implement its orders, including lodging an FIR against the officials who allegedly erred during the SIR exercise.
“The chief secretary has been given time to comply with the EC’s orders until 5.30 pm on February 17,” a commission official told The Telegraph.
In August last year, the panel summoned Chakravorty’s predecessor, Manoj Pant, after the Bengal government refused to suspend five officials on the commission’s directive. The five were accused of “failing to comply with legal obligations and breaching data security policies by sharing login details with unauthorized persons”.