The Union Home Ministry has directed the Puducherry government to appoint a State Election Commissioner (SEC) through a selection committee in a 'transparent, competent and fair manner.'.
Stating this in her order on Saturday, the territorial Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi said the Home Ministry had issued the communication to the territorial administration on December 18 stating that the SEC be appointed through the selection committee in a 'transparent, competent and fair manner.'
The Ministry had also laid down that the applications should be invited through an all-India advertisementand the selection committee which would appoint the officer would be headed by Chief Secretary to the Puducherry government.
The former IPS officer further said in the order that the Home Ministry had also conveyed that the composition and terms of reference of the selection committee would be finalised by her.
Bedi with whom the Chief Minister had been at loggerheads on various administrative issues ever since she assumed office in May 2016 also said that 'consequent to the current directive of the Centre the appointment of SEC notified by the government in July this year is 'null and void ab initio.'
The territorial government had earlier appointed a retired IAS officer T M Balakrishnan as the SEC in July who assumed office the same month.
She said in the order that she had asked the Chief Secretary to comply with the directives of the Home Ministry and ensure early selection of the SEC so as to complete the local body polls in the Union Territory without any delay.
Bedi said the Supreme Court had, in its judgment delivered in May 2018on a civil appeal, already directed the administration to notify the civic polls to constitute municipalities and panchayats without delay and 'on no account the election process should be stalled after delimitation of wards.
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