2 Election Commissioners wrote to Cabinet Secretary. RTI reveals what happened next

Two Election Commissioners wrote to the Cabinet Secretary over a disputed work-allocation order. The RTI reply confirms the paper trail but leaves the letters' contents undisclosed.

In Short

• Two Election Commissioners wrote to Cabinet Secretary, not CEC
• Letters arrived July 29, forwarded by Cabinet Secretary August 5
• Letters' contents undisclosed, 14 pages withheld for Rs 28 fee

On July 29, two of India’s three Election Commissioners did something unusual. They didn’t write to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They wrote to the Cabinet Secretary.

A Right to Information (RTI) reply obtained exclusively by India Today reveals what happened to those letters inside Seva Teerth, the complex that houses the Prime Minister’s Office, the National Security Council Secretariat and the Cabinet Secretariat.

The reply, dated October 19, responds to an RTI application filed on September 24. It confirms that the letters, one from Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and the other from Vivek Joshi, both dated July 29, reached the Cabinet Secretariat.

THE PAPER TRAIL

The two letters were logged on July 30, and by August 5, the Cabinet Secretary forwarded them to Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) officials and the CEC’s office.

The contents of the letters, however, remain undisclosed.

The Secretariat has withheld all 14 pages — comprising the Commissioners’ 10-page letters, two pages of replies and two pages of file notings — pending payment of a Rs 28 fee.

WHY DID THE ECs WRITE

The trigger was a July 28 work-allocation order. A newspaper reported that the two Commissioners objected to the order and wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, calling it a violation of rules. The new allocation was subsequently set aside.

The paper said that the changes had effectively removed a layer of oversight over the IT backbone for electoral rolls. The Commissioners had also made clear that the changes were made without their knowledge.

It described the move as “a radical departure from the norm."

Meanwhile, another newspaper, citing a person familiar with the matter, had earlier reported that the letter concerned a senior Deputy Election Commissioner and not CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The Election Commission offered its version in a press release on September 26.

“The letter to the Cabinet Secretary was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or IT division but related to working of an officer on deputation to ECI. The work re-distribution orders issued by the concerned officer were not actually implemented after the orders of the two Commissioners and the oversight over the IT division by the DEC was never actually withdrawn,” it said.

WHAT THE RTI ESTABLISHES

It doesn’t answer that question, because it doesn’t reveal the letters’ contents. But in a row built mostly on leaks and press notes, it is the first official paper. It confirms the letters exist, when they arrived, and where the Cabinet Secretary’s response went.

WHAT'S NEXT

India Today will pay the Rs 28 fee. Once the documents are received, this story will be updated with what the Commissioners wrote and how the Cabinet Secretary responded.

The Cabinet Secretariat, which functions as the Government of India’s apex administrative body, is housed at Seva Teerth alongside the PMO and the National Security Council Secretariat. The Rs 28 fee for obtaining the documents can be paid through a Demand Draft, Banker’s Cheque, Indian Postal Order or cash against proper acknowledgement.

The Secretariat does not currently offer a digital payment option for this fee.

- Ends