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Advocate writes to ECI to relieve DC Bhiwani from election-related duty
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, April 19, 2024: Hemant Kumar, Advocate in Punjab and Haryana High Court has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to relieve D.C. Bhiwani of election-related duty since his retirement scheduled on 30 June 2024.
Hemant Kumar, an Advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh has written to the ECI to bring to its notice the fact that the incumbent DC of Bhiwani District in the State of Haryana viz. Naresh Kumar, an IAS of 2011 batch who has also been ex-officio designated by the ECI as District Election Officer (DEO) in respect of Bhiwani District falling under Bhiwani- Mahendragarh Parliamentary Constituency (PC) is scheduled to superannuate from Govt Service on 30 June 2024. Given the same, Hemant asserted that the aforementioned IAS officer is covered under Para 6(vi) of ECI's instructions dated 21 Dec 2023 which stipulates that such an officer shall be relieved of that charge and not be associated with any election-related duty.
The Advocate has urged the ECI to wisely take an urgent call to intervene in this matter and make a conscious and wise decision to ensure the posting of another officer as Deputy Commissioner in Bhiwani District of Haryana who is nevertheless ex-officio designated DEO in respect of Bhiwani District falling under Bhiwani- Mahendragarh Parliamentary Constituency (PC).
"Last week on 11 April 2024, the erstwhile posted Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Panchkula, Sushil Sarwan, an IAS of 2012 batch was relieved of his then principal charge of D.C. Panchkula by the Haryana Government reportedly due to the direction by Election Commission of India (ECI) owing to his current official recorded home district being Ambala and since Panchkula District falls under the Ambala Parliamentary Constituency (PC). Panchkula DC is neither Returning Officer (RO) nor Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) of Ambala PC, but DC Panchkula is nevertheless ex-officio designated District Election Officer (DEO) of Panchkula districtInterestingly, only last year, Sarwan got his home district changed from then Panchkula to Ambala after questions were raised over his posting as DC in his then home district of Panchkula in Aug 2023," said Hemant Kumar.
"With a new DC of Panchkula yet to be posted however Sarwan even after being divested of charge of DC continues to remain in Panchkula district being posted as Chief Administrator of Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board i.e. on a post which he was earlier holding as an additional charge while he was posted as DC, Panchkula since Aug, 2023," he added.