Clerical Error Sparks Electoral Controversy in Kerala

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar reassigned Deputy CEO and a section officer after a BJP-sealed EC document reached political parties. Following an inquiry led by Additional CEO P B Nooh, the officials were sent back to their original departments. The error was deemed clerical and rectified promptly.

The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan U Kelkar, took swift action this Saturday, sending a Deputy CEO and a section officer back to their original departments. This decision followed an inquiry into an Election Commission (EC) document mistakenly bearing a BJP seal that was sent to political parties.

The inquiry, spearheaded by Additional CEO P B Nooh, IAS, revealed that the document in question was an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019, letter. This letter mistakenly had the BJP Kerala seal instead of the official EC seal, sparking controversy after being flagged by CPI(M) on 'X', a social media platform.

The Election Commission has since labeled the incident as a 'purely clerical error'. The mistake was promptly corrected, and the official responsible for this oversight was placed under suspension, according to an EC statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)