CM's charge on posting OSD as SEC 'a figment of his

Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Saturday slammed Chief Minister V Narayanasamy for his charge that she planned to post her Officer on Special Duty as State Election Commissioner and said it was nothing but 'a figment of his imagination'.

Her comments came a day after the Chief Minister alleged at a press meet here that Bedi had a hidden agenda of appointing her OSD, G Theva Needhi Dhas, a retired IAS officer, as the SEC.

Bedi, in what she described was an 'open letter' to Narayanasamy, said the Chief Minister continued to misinform and mislead the people of Puducherry.

"Your allegations are mere figments of your imagination," she said.

Maintaining that the OSD wasnot separable to take up any other assignment as long as she was Lt Governor, she said Theva Needhi Dhas was indispensable to her office in view of his long and outstanding public service.

She also stated that Dhas was providing her office 'critical institutional memory', which was so essential for her personally as she was coming from outside the region.

Bedi asked the Chief Minister to stop spreading such falsehood through the media and said her office needed the services of Dhas in view of his integrity, vast experience and capability.

"Theva Needhi Dhas too is not interested in any such posts (SEC), she said.

She pointed out that the matters of appointment of SEC and free rice scheme are sub-judice and the Madras High court was expected to pronounce its verdict any time.

The issue of the SEC's appointment had taken a new turn on Tuesday with the Local Administration department issuing an advertisement for the post and the Minister concerned pleading ignorance about it.

The advertisement came days after Narayanasamy issued an order declaring as "null and void" Bedi's December 20 communication, annulling the appointment of retired IAS officer T M Balakrishnan as the SEC in July last.

Bedi had last month quashed the SEC's appointment based on a Home Ministry circular, which stated it can be made only through a Selection committee headed by the Chief Secretary.

Hitting back, Narayanasamy, in his January 3 order, said the SEC's appointment was an executive action and removal of the official can only be through a legislative action as stated in Articles 243 K, 243 L and 243-ZB of the Constitution and also under provisions of the Puducherry Municipalities, Commune and Village Panchayats Act 1973.

Namasivayam maintained Balakrishnan was 'unanimously' selected by the assembly and appointed through a special resolution in July 2019 to the post and he had assumed office.