Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena has alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar acted arbitrarily while introducing changes related to Form 6, ignoring the views of the other two members of the Election Commission.
Meena, a retired IAS officer, said on Saturday that he had written to Kumar and Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu — both of whom were his batchmates — pointing out several differences of opinion over how the poll panel made decisions.
“The Election Commission is taking independent decisions. With three members, the majority view has to be taken. But Gyanesh acted arbitrarily,” Meena said.
He alleged that the changes made to Form 6 were contrary to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the election rules of 1961.
According to him, changes having a statutory bearing could not have been made merely through an executive order. “I wrote to both my batchmates pointing out these issues,” he said.
Meena said the other two Election Commissioners had every right to record their differences with the CEC.
He alleged that the manner in which the changes were introduced amounted to a departure from transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission.
“Transparency was flouted by Gyanesh,” Meena said.
The former election officer said the Election Commission, as an independent constitutional authority, was required to take decisions collectively and in accordance with the law.
He also stressed that the Commission should not succumb to pressure from any quarter, including the Prime Minister. “The Election Commission just cannot succumb to any sort of pressure, even from the Prime Minister, as they are given full immunity,” Meena said.
His comments come at a time when the functioning of the three-member Election Commission has come under intense public scrutiny over differences within the panel and the changes concerning the procedure for inclusion of names in electoral rolls.
Meena said the issue was not merely one of difference of opinion among the Commissioners but involved the manner in which statutory provisions and established procedures were being dealt with.
(IANS)
