RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb.10: The Jharkhand High Court today issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) directing it to give reply within four weeks through an affidavit in a petition filed by Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri.
The development took place in the court of Justice Ananda Sen where Bhanjatri’s petition was taken up for hearing.
Bhajantri had filed a petition challenging the ECI’s direction to the state government to start departmental proceedings against him and not posting him either as deputy commissioner or district election officer during election without its prior permission.
The ECI had given direction on December 6, 2021 taking cognizance of the complaint filed by Godda MP Nishikant Dubey by which he had alleged Bhajantri of delaying registration of FIR by six months in the matter of violation of model code of conduct during Madhupur byelection in Jharkhand.
Bhajantri challenged the ECI direction alleging the latter of being partial and selective in taking action. In order to support allegations of partiality against the ECI he presented an example of delay in registration of an FIR in 2016 horse trading case during Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand.
“The ECI in 2016 had directed the then Raghubar Das led NDA government to register an FIR under Prevention of Corruption Act after getting information regarding horse trading during Rajya Sabha election. Registration of an FIR was delayed by two years. All the sections under which the FIR was registered were bailable. But despite all this the ECI took no action against the erring officials,” Bhajantri through his petition submitted.
The petition has been filed a year after the state government wrote to the ECI to review its direction given in the matter of the Deoghar DC. On December 23, 2021 the state government had requested the ECI to review its direction.
