The Election Commission of India has directed the Jharkhand Government to take action against IAS officer Manjunath Bhajantri and has termed the order to appoint him as Ranchi DC and District Election Officer a violation of the Jharkhand High Court's decision.
In a letter written to the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, L. Khiangte, on September 30, the ECI asked the State government to comply with its order of December 6, 2021, and submit an action report to the Commission within 15 days.
Notably, on December 6, 2021, the Election Commission issued an order directing the government to remove the then Deputy Commissioner of Deoghar, Manjunath Bhajantri, from the post and initiate departmental action against him.
It also directed that he should not be deputed to any post related to election work without the permission of the Commission.
The ECI stated in the letter that Bhajantri was removed from the post of Deputy Commissioner on April 26, 2021, as he presented different figures in the Commission's Voter Turnout App and press conference during the Madhupur bye-election.
However, after the election code of conduct ended, the government ordered him to be re-appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Deoghar.
About six months after this case, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jharkhand sent a report to the Commission, informing them that the Deputy Commissioner had registered an FIR against BJP MP from Godda, Nishikant Dubey, for violating the code of conduct after the elections concluded.
An explanation was sought from Bhajantri by the ECI, but he could not furnish a satisfactory answer.
The Commission then ordered his removal from the post on December 6, 2021, and instructed that he should not be assigned to election-related work in the future without the Commission's permission. Still, the government did not remove Manjunath from the post.
The matter reached the High Court, which, in its decision dated September 30, 2024, upheld the order of the Election Commission.
Validating the ECI's order of 2021, the High Court stated that such recommendations of the ECI are mandatorily binding on the State government and that the Commission's powers are part of the larger constitutional scheme in federal settings.
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