Indian Election Commission: ECI suspends Special Secretary to Prime Minister | News from Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday suspended DS Kutey, special secretary to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, for “undue interference in the conduct of the election”. Kutey, a 1997-batch IPS officer, was considered one of the most powerful bureaucrats in the Election Commission. The ECI directed him to report to the Office of Resident Commissioner, Odisha, in New Delhi and asked the Chief Secretary of Odisha to submit a chargesheet to Kutey by Thursday. The Chief Election Officer (CEO) of Odisha will hand over the draft chargesheet to the Chief Secretary. The ECI also asked IPS officer Ashis Singh, Inspector General (CM Security), who has been on sick leave since May 4, to submit himself for a medical examination by a medical panel to be constituted by the Director of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, by Thursday. The government had transferred Singh from his post as IG (Central Range) in April on the recommendation of the ECI. The ECI also demanded a speedy investigation into a case registered against BJP candidate for Khurda, Prasanta Jagadev, for allegedly damaging an EVM on May 25. TNN

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