PANJIM: Retired IAS officer, WV Ramanamurthy, on Thursday took charge as the new State Election Commissioner (SEC) following the State government appointing him to the post.
Ramanamurthy, who had earlier served in the Goa government as secretary water resources and managing director of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC), said, “I will discharge my duties as per the Constitutional mandate.”
Ramanamurthy succeeds Law Secretary Chokha Ram Garg as the SEC after the Supreme Court passed stringent strictures against the State government for giving charge of the poll body, which is an independent authority, to a serving bureaucrat.
Speaking to media persons after taking over charge, Ramanamurthy said, “It is the responsibility given by the government. I will soon hold a review meeting with poll officials to take a briefing on the ongoing election process and with regards to five other municipalities.”
Ramanamurthy refused to comment on the elections due in five municipalities stating, “I am just new and have to study the matter.”
While six municipalities and the Corporation of the City of Panaji will go to the polls on Saturday, elections to five municipalities, which were caught in litigation, have to be completed by April 30 as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
On November 5, 2020 retired IAS officer and ex-Chief Secretary RK Srivastava had tendered his resignation as SEC citing personal reasons. A month later, he was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 35,000 in a case pertaining to the revival of a defunct housing society in Delhi using forged documents by the CBI court.
In December, last year, the State was set to hold the deferred Zilla Panchayat elections and the charge was handed over to Garg.
The Supreme Court in its judgment passed on March 12 had said that the fact that the SEC in Goa was none other than its Law Secretary is the “most disturbing feature of the case”. The top court had rapped the government for giving additional charge of the post to a serving secretary, while pointing out that the SEC had been equated with a high court judge.
On assuming the office, Ramanamurthy met the staff and Adv Shashikant Joshi and is learnt to have discussed the Supreme Court judgement regarding the elections in five municipal councils. Both were closeted for almost half-an-hour before a delegation of opposition parties met him.