The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday sent a reminder letter to the West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant asking to take action against the poll officers, for whom the poll body sought suspension and an FIR over the fake voter list.
In a fresh notice to Pant, the ECI has set the state government a deadline of 3 pm on August 11 to execute its decision to suspend four officials and submit an action taken compliance report.
“Directions have been issued for the immediate suspension of Shri Debottam Dutta Choudhury, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for the 137-Baruipur Purba Assembly Constituency; Shri Tathagata Mondal, the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) for the 137-Baruipur Purba Assembly Constituency; Shri Biplab Sarkar, ERO for the 206-Moyna Assembly Constituency; and Shri Sudipta Das, AERO for the 206-Moyna Assembly Constituency. Disciplinary proceedings will also be initiated against the individuals mentioned above. Additionally, the Commission has directed that FIRs be filed against these errant EROs and AEROs, as well as against the casual Data Entry Operator, Shri Surojit Halder, involved in the matter,” the letter said.
The letter, further mentioned, “No compliance report detailing the specific actions taken against each of the officers has been received by the Commission thus far. The Commission has instructed that necessary action against the mentioned officers be taken immediately, and a compliance report must be submitted to the Commission by 3:00 PM on August 11.”
The letter, signed by ECI secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra, was shot off a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee publicly declared that she would not execute the suspension order and asserted that she would protect the employees of the state government at any cost.
The ECI, on August 5, directed the suspension of five officials, which included two West Bengal Civil Service officers and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers. This action was taken in connection with the alleged fraudulent registration of 127 voters using forged documents in the Baruipur Purba and Moyna Assembly constituencies. Additionally, a data entry operator has been named in the FIR for criminal misconduct. This action followed a report submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal. CM Banerjee had strongly criticised the EC for suspending five state government officials over alleged voter registration irregularities and also accused the EC of acting as a “bonded labourer” of the BJP.
Despite receiving the reminder letter, the state government officials are stating that the government is not prepared to take action against the officers mentioned by the ECI.
A senior official from the state Home Department said, “The government is buying time before taking any action. We are also seeking legal advice regarding the steps the ECI can take if we do not comply with its directives.”
Meanwhile, the ECI officials insist that if the state government fails to take action, the ECI can escalate the situation. “When an officer is performing duties for the ECI, they fall under the ECI’s jurisdiction. According to Section 13CC of the People’s Representatives Act, the ECI can take action against officers involved in any fraud or other violations.”
Section 13CC states: “The officers referred to in this Part and any other officer or staff employed in connection with the preparation, revision and correction of the electoral rolls for, and The conduct of, all elections shall be deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission for the period during which they are so employed and such officers and staff shall, during that period, be subject to the control, superintendence and discipline of the EC.”
State Home Secretary, Nandini Chakraborty, in a letter to CEO of West Bengal, Manoj Agarwal said, “It has come to our attention that the office of the CEO, West Bengal, has informed the ECI that West Bengal is prepared for a Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls. However, it appears that no consultation or prior notification was provided to the State Government by the office of the CEO regarding this matter. Therefore, I kindly request you to confirm the accuracy of the press reports to dispel any misinformation.”
Following this letter, the CEO’s office clarified that there is no confusion on the matter. A senior official from the CEO’s office stated, “The Election Commission of India has already announced in the order regarding Bihar that the initiative will be implemented across the entire country after it is launched in Bihar. The Chief Election Officers have been instructed to begin preparations, and accordingly, the CEO’s office has taken the necessary initiatives and is fully prepared.”