EC bars Karnataka IAS officer from poll duty, recommends disciplinary action

The Election Commission Thursday barred IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin, who had checked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha, from election duties till further orders.

Sources in the Commission said the poll body has also recommended the Karnataka government to take disciplinary action against him.

Mohsin is a 1996 batch IAS officer from Karnataka cadre. He was deployed in Odisha as a general observer and suspended on April 17 for checking Modi's helicopter in Odisha's Sambalpur in "violation" of norms for dealing with SPG protectees.

The sources said Mohsin's suspension order has also been revoked.

"It is a composite order which has been issued today (Thursday) based on the fact finding report of Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma," a senior EC functionary said.

The developments come on a day when the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Bengaluru stayed the EC order suspending Mohsin.

The CAT maintained that during an election process while reasonable assurances of protection and security must be made available to SPG protectees, it cannot be said "they are eligible for anything and everything".

An order issued by the EC on Tuesday had said the general observer for Sambalpur, Mohammad Mohsin, acted in violation of existing instructions of EC.

"It has been laid down that SPG protectees are exempted from checking. He should have known the instruction being an observer. The reason for suspension is dereliction of duty," an EC source had then said.

After the incident, the officer was attached to the Sambalpur headquarters. Later, he was attached with the chief electoral officer of Karnataka.

The order exempting SPG protectees, including the prime minister, was issued in April 2014, the poll body said.

The Commission took the action against Mohsin on the basis of a report submitted by the district collector and deputy inspector general of police.