Panchayat elections: State Election Commission orders transfer of Tarn Taran DC
Babsushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, September 28, 2024: State Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary has ordered transfer of Tarn Taran Deputy Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh in wake of reports of irregularities during Panchayat elections.
The Commission issued transfer order following the complaint that claimed that list of reservation of posts of Sarpanches which was earlier issued under the signatures of the Deputy Commissioner, Tarn Taran, was changed later and the reservation of some of the gram panchayats for the post of Sarpanch was amended due to alleged political interference.
While the IAS officer Gulpreet Singh Aulakh told the Comission that list was mistakenly issued and the list may be substituted for the original one, the Commission found at least 15 changes in reservation in the list pertaining to Block Gandiwind.
" It cannot be simply a clerical mistake which has been corrected by the concerned DC. Further, DDPO has mentioned that this 'amended' list has been prepared today, whereas it appears to have been back-dated to 25.9.2024 by the DC. It is also observed that in case there even was any clerical mistake or otherwise in the original list, the DC ought to have brought it immediately to the notice of this Commission, which he has not done, and appears to have directly taken up the matter with the Printing & Stationery Department for publication of the disputed amended list," the Commission added.