Taking the view that the Dilip Singh Judeo bribery case does not fall within the Election Commission’s (EC) ambit, the Commission said it is up to the government’s investigative agencies to look into it. Judeo may have been projected as the chief ministerial candidate by the BJP in the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections to be held on December 1, but he escapes the EC’s net as he is not in the fray. ‘‘The Judeo case does not come under the EC in any way as he is not contesting an election,’’ EC sources said. Besides, a senior EC official explained that it does not act against any individual candidate or officials unless there is a complaint by parties or election officials. ‘‘The EC conduct its own inquiries based on complaints received by it,’’ the officials said. Meanwhile, the Commission had a meeting with the Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary, state Chief Electoral Officer, DGP and senior officers from the Defence Ministry for deployment of Central paramilitary forces in the state’s Naxal-infested areas. CEC J.M. Lyngdoh directed senior officials of the state to review the law and order situation particularly in Naxal-infested Bastar region, EC sources The EC also ordered the immediate transfer of Surguja Collector S.K. Raju and Bilaspur SP S.R.P. Kalluri for violating the model code of conduct. The EC directed the Chief Secretary to transfer collectors of Bastar and Jashpur districts in the wake of the high court vacating the stay given by the Central Administrative Tribunal. Why name me? Naveen ‘shocked’ Bhubaneswar: ORISSA Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today expressed shock over his name being dragged in the Express expose of former Union Minister of State Dilip Singh Judeo accepting cash on camera. Patnaik said: ‘‘As far as our government and I am concerned, we have nothing to do with anything being said.’’ He added that his government has laid down a transparent procedure for granting leases for mining. INS flays attack NEW DELHI: The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has condemned the attacks on the house of The Indian Express correspondent Ashwani Sharma and the local office of Sahara Samay television channel at Raipur on Sunday and asked the Chhattisgarh government to conduct a thorough probe into the matter. (ENS)
