EC moves court on CAT order

The Judeo-video apart, two issues that appear to be dominating the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections are the ruling Congress’s tussle with the Election Commission over the use of state-owned aircraft by party chief Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and the transfer of Jashpur and Bastar District Collectors.

On October 29, following an inquiry, the EC had ordered the transfer of Jashpur and Bastar District Collectors B.S. Anant and L.N. Surya Vanshi for violation of the model code. However, on November 25, a divisional bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Jabalpur not only quashed the EC directive, but also noted that it is ‘‘not only illegal, improper but against all the settled tenets of the law. The CAT did not find anything prejudicial on the part of collectors to have violated the model code of conduct.’’

	‘Keep eye on Cong CMs’
			NEW DELHI: A BJP delegation here met CEC J.M. Lyngdoh on Thursday to seek a vigil on ‘‘government terror’’ in Chhattisgarh in general, and constituencies of chief ministers of Congress-ruled states — Sardarpura (Ashok Gehlot), Raghogarh (Digvijay Singh) and Marwahi (Ajit Jogi) — in particular. The delegation also included party vice-president Bal Apte and general secy Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. (ENS)

Reacting to the CAT order, the EC again moved the Bilaspur High Court today. Earlier, the Chhattisgarh High Court had vacated the CAT ruling against the transfer/removal of the district collectors. But the court had allowed the CAT hearing to go on. Based on the court order, two new collectors-cum-district returning officers were appointed in Jashpur and Bastar.

On October 31, Anant and Surya Vanshi had gone to CAT and obtained a stay against the EC order.