The West Bengal Government on Monday took a confrontational approach vis a vis the Election Commission of India (ECI) defying its directives to suspend four officers including two from the West Bengal Civil Services cadre for criminal misconduct in discharging their electoral duties.
Writing a letter to the ECI the State Government wrote that the officers in question were efficient and had reputation of diligent service. It further added that any punitive action taken against the officers concerned would not only demoralise them but also the other Government staff engaged in election duty.
“You will kindly appreciate that district level officials and field officers have a wide range of responsibilities and functions assigned to them by their appointing authorities, in addition to the electoral roll revision works and other election-related works which are time bound tasks,” the State Government communiqué to the ECI read.
It further said that “such an action (suspension) could have a demoralising impact not only on the individuals concerned but also on the broader team of officers engaged in electoral responsibilities and other administrative functions.”
The ECI’s suspension deadline ended at 3 pm on Monday following which State Chief Secretary Manoj Pant wrote the letter to the poll panel.
Notwithstanding the State’s decision not to suspend or prosecute the erring officers, the Government removed them from active election duty.
The defiance of the ECI order comes amid a war of words between the State and the Centre over possible implementation of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bengal. It also comes against the backdrop of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s public statement that her Government would go any distance to protect its officers and asked the people. She directed the people to resist tooth and nail any attempt to delete names from the voters’ lists.
Incidentally, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Kumar Agarwal, had found the two EROs, two AEROs, and one data entry operator guilty of electoral misconduct. The complaints against them were that they helped in wrongful addition of names in the electoral rolls.
Besides, the ECI also directed an FIR to be lodged against them.
In an earlier communiqué to the State, directing the officers’ suspension the ECI wrote, “The Commission has taken serious note of the grave lapses committed by the officers… FIRs be lodged against the above-mentioned erring EROs and AEROs for their action, which potentially amount to criminal misconduct.” If found guilty the officials could be penalised under Section 32(1) of the Representation of People Act, 1950, sources said.
The officials indulged in illegal acts of entering fake applicants in the voters’ lists in Moyna block of East Midnapore and Baruipur East Block of South 24 Parganas, sources said.
Earlier the ECI had suspended Arun Gorain, assistant system manager of Kakdwip subdivision in South 24 Parganas district, for alleged electoral misconduct.