he alleged indiscretion of returning officers in rejecting nominations filed for local bodies election has given way to widespread complaints across the State.
About 3,000 nominations were reportedly rejected on flimsy grounds, often overlooking the clear directions of the State Election Commission (SEC). The commission is reported to have received more than 50 complaints and many others are getting ready to move court. Since the election process is on, the court would hear such complaints only after the election.
The Conduct of Election Rules does not permit to review the decisions of the returning officers. Hence, if a returning officer rejects a nomination after scrutiny, there is provision to go on appeal against the decision.
Amendment to rules
Commission sources told The Hindu that an amendment to the election rules had become imperative in this context. The commission should be given the authority to review the decisions of the returning officers before the process of allocating symbols to candidates begins. This was the only option to overcome the crisis, sources said.
Adequate training was imparted to government employees deployed on election duty and specific instructions were given against rejecting nominations for minor errors such as mistakes in serial numbers, failure to sign the affidavit, and such others. The officers were told to adopt a more flexible and positive approach and exercise their discretion before rejecting a nomination.
The commission had also given a handbook comprising the norms to be followed for rejecting a nomination. But there were complaints that such directions were overlooked at a number of places. A majority of the officers did not even consult the commission before taking a final decision.
For, the commission had rendered the right advice to officers who consulted it in time.
For instance, the Kollam District Collector had certain doubts about the nomination of the UDF candidate for the district panchayat from the Oachira division. Before reaching a final conclusion, the officer consulted the commission and thus accepted the nomination. Most others unilaterally rejected the nominations, leaving potential candidates in the lurch.
Indiscretion of returning officers alleged in rejection of about 3,000 nominations
