A recent Right to Information (RTI) Act disclosure has revealed that the Cabinet Secretariat declined to act on complaints lodged by two Election Commissioners against a senior officer within the poll body. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had separately written to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan on July 29, 2026, raising concerns about the conduct of Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg.
Allegations of Unilateral Work Allocation
According to a Cabinet note obtained via the RTI response, both Sandhu and Joshi alleged that Maneesh Garg, an IAS officer appointed to the Election Commission (EC) in September 2024, revised work allocations among senior deputy election commissioners and other officials without consulting the Commission or the affected officers. The Commissioners asserted these changes were made despite explicit oral and written instructions against such decisions without prior discussion or approval.
Vivek Joshi further claimed that the Administration Division failed to provide him with a requested file. The Commissioners contended that Garg’s actions violated the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and deviated from established practice within the constitutional body.
Cabinet Secretariat's Stance
The Cabinet Secretariat, after considering the complaints, decided not to intervene. A Cabinet note dated August 3, 2026, initially proposed seeking the Chief Election Commissioner’s opinion. However, a subsequent note concluded that the communications from Sandhu and Joshi were made in their individual capacities and did not constitute a formal complaint from the Election Commission as a whole.
The Secretariat cited Section 18 of the 2023 Act, which mandates that the Commission’s business should be transacted unanimously where possible, with differences resolved by majority. It was determined that taking action based on individual complaints, without an official communication from the full Commission, could be seen as inappropriate executive interference in the functioning of a constitutional body. Consequently, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan acknowledged receipt of the letters on August 5, 2026, marking copies to relevant departments for record-keeping and future decision-making concerning Garg, but no direct action was taken on the complaints.
Outcome of the Complaints
Despite the Cabinet Secretariat's decision not to intervene, the Election Commission later confirmed on September 26 that the revised work-allocation orders, which were the subject of the complaints, were ultimately never implemented following directions from the two Election Commissioners.