ECI orders suspension of Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister

DS Kutey, Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Election Commission of India has suspended DS Kutey, special secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and directed Ashish Kumar Singh, Inspector General of Police (CM Security), to undergo a medical examination on charges of interfering in simultaneous elections in the state of Odisha.

The two senior IPS officers were among the few key bureaucrats overseeing the official proceedings of the Odisha Chief Minister’s Office. The decision was taken on the basis of information provided by the Chief Election Officer of Odisha, who pointed out that two officials were directly exercising “undue” influence in the conduct of election work.

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“This has been further corroborated by various other information received from the field from time to time,” the ECI order said.

“Mr Kutey should be suspended under relevant service rules for undue interference in the conduct of the election. His headquarters shall be the office of the Resident Commissioner Odisha, New Delhi, where he shall report by 3:00 p.m. on 29 May 2024,” the ECI order said.

“Furthermore, the CEO of Odisha will submit a draft of the charge-sheet to the Chief Secretary of Odisha for service on Mr. Kutey. The Chief Secretary of Odisha will cause the charge-sheet to be issued by the appropriate authority as per relevant service rules not later than 5:00 p.m. on 30th May, 2024,” the copy of the order said.

The removal of Mr Kutey is seen as a significant step as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party accused him of being directly involved in election rigging for the Biju Janata Dal.

Mr Singh, who has been on sick leave since May 4, 2024, shall undergo a detailed medical examination by a special medical panel constituted by the Director, AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar, not later than May 30, 2024, the ECI order said.

According to the order, the Odisha CEO would ensure that the director of AIIMS Bhubaneshwar sets up a special medical panel to identify diseases and treatments. “The report in this regard shall be submitted to the commission not later than May 31, 2024,” it said.

Furthermore, the ECI has ordered an immediate inquiry against Prashant Jagdev, MLA Chilika and BJP candidate for Khordha Assembly constituency for damaging the EVM in a polling booth.

According to the ECI, the decision was taken to limit undue influence on the electoral machinery and to maintain a level playing field and fairness in the electoral process.