The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reprimanded State governments for not following procedures in seeking clearances for special proposals while the model code of conduct is in force for the Lok Sabha election.
The governments have been forwarding hundreds of proposals without ensuring careful examination or scrutiny by the screening committees appointed in each State under the chairmanship of the respective Chief Secretary, the ECI has said in a warning note to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all States and Union Territories, officials said.
The proposals include requests for extension, appointment, transfer of senior officials and other important administrative approvals, which are essential to governance matters during code of conduct.
The three-member screening committee headed by the State Chief Secretary includes the secretary of the department which formulates the proposal, and the secretary of the General Administration Department (GAD).
But not all States are following this procedure in a rush to forward and get clearances for proposals from the ECI, the commission’s Under Secretary Ritesh Singh has noted in his recent letter to all the CEOs. “It is observed the proposals are being sent to the ECI directly by some of the States. The direction of the Commission regarding the process of sending references of model code of conduct is being reiterated to several officers. They must ensure no proposal is sent to the commission directly,” Mr. Singh said.
The ECI also noted in some cases that “specific comments” of the screening committee were missing on proposals termed as important by the State governments. “Such proposals shall be only sent to the ECI through the Chief Electoral Officer after careful examination conducted by the screening committee,” the ECI note said.
Senior government officials said the mandate of the screening committee is clearly defined on the ECI website. However sometimes, in a rush, especially in cases of appointments, the process is given a miss.
An official from the State Election Department, Maharashtra, said, “The screening committee has to go through the proposal first. It has to then comment on the urgency and necessity of the proposal. Once the view of the committee is formed, the CEO has to add his conclusions and then forward it to the ECI. But some States have not done that in a rush to get clearances.”
The ECI website clearly mentions that no State department shall directly forward any proposal/reference to the ECI. Among other considerations, last-minute proposals must be totally avoided. “All the documents backing the proposal must be provided to the screening committee so that it conduct a through investigation,” an official said.
