Just minutes before the Chief Election Commissioner of India announced the dates for the upcoming Assembly elections, 2014 batch IAS officer Varun Ranjan was appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Ranchi.
The decision follows the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) instructions to take action against IAS officer Manjunath Bhajantri, whose appointment as DC and District Election Officer (DEO) of Ranchi was ruled as a violation of the Jharkhand High Court verdict.
In a letter dated September 30, addressed to Jharkhand’s Chief Secretary L. Khiangte, the ECI reminded the state government to comply with an earlier order from December 6, 2021, and provide a compliance report within 15 days.
The ECI’s December 2021 directive had ordered Bhajantri’s removal from his previous post as Deoghar’s Deputy Commissioner and called for disciplinary action against him. The Commission had also restricted his involvement in any election-related roles without prior approval.
Bhajantri was initially removed on April 26, 2021, after discrepancies arose during the Madhupur bye-election. The ECI found that the voter turnout data presented in the Commission’s Voter Turnout App differed from what Bhajantri announced at a press conference.
Despite his removal, the state government reappointed him as Deoghar’s DC after the election code of conduct expired.
The situation escalated further when Jharkhand’s Chief Electoral Officer submitted a report to the ECI stating that Bhajantri had filed an FIR against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for allegedly violating the code of conduct.
The ECI labelled Bhajantri’s actions as “malafide” and found his response to a show-cause notice “unsatisfactory.” As a result, the ECI ordered his removal from office on December 6, 2021, and reiterated that he should not be assigned election-related duties without its approval.
However, the state government failed to remove Bhajantri, prompting legal intervention. On September 30, 2024, the Jharkhand High Court upheld the ECI’s 2021 order, emphasising that such instructions are binding on state authorities as part of the federal structure outlined in the Constitution.
Recently, Bhajantri was appointed as the DC of Ranchi, replacing Rahul Sinha. But on Tuesday, following the ECI's directives, he was removed once again, and Varun Ranjan was installed as the new Deputy Commissioner.
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