6 months ago
1
Obstructing booth-level officers (BLO) from discharging their duties related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls volition pull “strict transgression action,” Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar has said.
Addressing a property league of the advancement of SIR successful Kerala successful Thiruvananthapuram connected Wednesday, Mr. Kelkar said incidents were reported successful Malappuram and Idukki wherever BLOs were prevented from doing their work.
“As agelong arsenic a idiosyncratic is appointed arsenic a BLO, that idiosyncratic volition beryllium considered arsenic a nationalist servant for the enactment of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Everybody should cognize that they person a salient relation to play. District Collectors person been instructed to instrumentality strict transgression enactment nether Section 121 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against anyone who tries to obstruct their enactment ,” Mr. Kelkar said.
Section 121 deals with instances wherever nationalist servants are hindered successful discharging their duties.
Mr. Kelkar said his bureau was taking the SIR guardant “through teamwork” and by addressing the issues faced by the BLOs. Complaints regarding enactment unit connected BLOs volition beryllium looked into, helium said.
He observed that BLOs are appointed for a Constitutionally mandated enactment for the ECI nether Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. “Once a idiosyncratic is appointed arsenic BLO, the power implicit the idiosyncratic rests with the ECI. Then their monitoring and supervision becomes the work of the ECI,” helium said.
All officers, including the CEO, District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, AEROs, booth-level supervisors and the BLOs, enactment arsenic per the mandates of the Constitution and the ECI, helium said. District Collectors person besides been directed to question constabulary assistance for BLOs if needed, helium added.
Checking misinformation spread
District Collectors volition besides beryllium instructed to instrumentality strict enactment against the dispersed of misinformation pertaining to the SIR, the CEO said.
He cited an lawsuit wherever determination were reports that the committee was readying enactment against BLOs who took portion successful the protestation demonstrations connected Monday. The ECI was not contemplating immoderate specified action, Mr. Kelkar said.
Regarding the advancement of distributing enumeration forms, the CEO said astir 55,000 cases person been reported wherever the individuals were recovered to beryllium untraceable. They include, deceased, shifted persons and duplications.
According to him, 97% of the forms person been distributed truthful far.
The filled forms volition beryllium collected successful the coming days. Nearly 5 lakh forms person been digitised truthful far, helium said.
