Election Commission flagged officer's IT oversight changes to cabinet secretary

Two senior Election Commission officials, Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, have written to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan flagging concerns about administrative restructuring within the poll panel's IT operations. The communications highlight tensions over governance and accountability within the Election Commission's technical wing.

According to the officials' correspondence, changes initiated by a senior EC officer sought to alter the file routing protocols for the Director General of IT, Seema Khanna. The officials contended that such modifications would bypass an established layer of institutional scrutiny and oversight that had previously been in place.

The letters to the cabinet secretary, India's most senior civil servant, suggest the disputed administrative changes could potentially compromise the checks and balances that govern decision-making within the Election Commission's critical IT infrastructure division. The IT wing plays a vital role in managing the technical systems used during elections across the country.

The matter reflects ongoing debates within India's bureaucratic apparatus about proper administrative protocols and the importance of maintaining established oversight structures. The cabinet secretary's office is expected to examine the concerns raised by the Election Commission officials.