Why is the Bengal government refusing to follow ECI's suspension order for election officers?

Kolkata, Aug 11 (NationPress) The government of West Bengal has decisively stated that it will not adhere to the Election Commission of India (ECI) directive to suspend four election officials linked to two Assembly constituencies in two districts of West Bengal. This action is due to their alleged participation in the improper inclusion of names on the electoral rolls for these constituencies.

On August 8, the ECI issued a reminder to Manoj Pant, the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, requesting a compliance report regarding the previous order to suspend these officials by Monday.

However, on the specified Monday, the Chief Secretary communicated back to the ECI, indicating that no disciplinary action has been initiated against the four officials as per the commission’s request.

Instead, Pant noted that an internal investigation and a thorough review of the procedures involved in the electoral roll revision are underway.

“It is important to understand that district-level officials and field officers have a wide array of responsibilities assigned to them. Alongside electoral roll revisions, they are tasked with time-sensitive election-related duties. Hence, certain responsibilities are often delegated to subordinate staff with good intentions,” the Chief Secretary’s letter stated.

Pant further expressed concerns that launching disciplinary proceedings without a detailed inquiry against these dedicated officers could be excessively punitive.

“Such measures may not only demoralize the individuals involved but also negatively impact the broader team of officers handling electoral duties and other administrative tasks,” he remarked in his correspondence with the Commission.

As an initial measure, he noted that the duties of these four officials in relation to electoral revision and election tasks have been suspended.

“A follow-up report on further actions will be provided after the inquiry is concluded,” Pant mentioned.

Disputes over disciplinary actions against the four officials have persisted since the beginning, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ECI’s directive and asserting that the state government would not act against these officials, as they are state employees.

The office of West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal, initially conducted a comprehensive investigation into the two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and one data entry operator, due to complaints regarding their alleged involvement in the wrongful addition of names to the electoral rolls.

Subsequently, the CEO’s office reported its findings to the ECI, stating that these officials had not only neglected their responsibilities as EROs and AEROs while processing applications but also breached data security policies by sharing their login credentials for the election registration database with unauthorized individuals.

If found guilty, the consequences for the individuals in question could include imprisonment for a minimum of three months, potentially extending to two years, along with fines, as per the applicable legal provisions.