The Election Commission placed IT chief Seema Khanna under Deputy Election Commissioner Prakash Raj Purohit to maintain supervisory oversight over the technical division. This decision follows a contested July 28 directive by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Manish Garg that would have allowed Khanna to report directly to the full Commission. Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and SS Sandhu opposed that move, warning that IT-level permission controls were hindering field-level Electoral Registration Officers from executing their statutory duties.
Key points
Administrative oversight over the Election Commission's IT leadership remains firmly in p…: Administrative oversight over the Election Commission's IT leadership remains firmly in place following the latest work allocation adjustments.
Two election commissioners had challenged the direct-reporting model due to software mana…: Two election commissioners had challenged the direct-reporting model due to software management issues and the centralisation of administrative power.
Field-level Electoral Registration Officers had experienced curbs on their legal function…: Field-level Electoral Registration Officers had experienced curbs on their legal functions because essential operational permissions were restricted by the IT wing.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Thursday said there is no change in the supervisory authority to which its director general of information technology Seema Khanna reports.The clarification came a day after the panel issued a fresh work allocation placing Khanna under the charge of deputy election commissioner Prakash Raj Purohit instead of senior deputy EC Manish Garg.A controversy had erupted after Garg issued an order on July 28 asking Khanna to report directly to the Election Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and SS Sandhu.Garg had issued the order after deputy EC Sanjay Kumar, to whom Khanna had been reporting, was transferred to the Delhi government. The change effectively removed an intermediary layer of oversight, allowing Khanna to report directly to the Election Commission.ECs Sandhu and Joshi objected to the order and subsequently wrote separate letters to cabinet secretary TV Somanathan, raising concerns over the distribution of responsibilities.
The order was then put in abeyance. The EC also told the Supreme Court that the July 28 work allocation order was never implemented.Asked whether…
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