New Delhi, January 11
The Indian National Lok Dal, which faces the threat of de-recognition, today found itself in a precarious situation as the two-member inquiry team from the Election Commission found the Haryana Government of violating the model code of conduct in police and teacher recruitment, creating of a new district and the Cabinet meeting held for this purpose and issuance of advertisements highlighting the achievements of the government.
The two-member team comprising Mr Rajesh Aggarwal, Principal Secretary-cum-Director in the Commission and Mr Afzal Amanullah, Special Observer of the Commission for Haryana, today
submitted their report. Sources in the commission said that the poll panel would soon examine the report and pass its orders. The inquiry report said it found that even after the model code of conduct came into operation a large-scale recruitments in the police at the level of Sub-Inspectors and Constables had been made.
The Superintendents of Police and Commandants of Haryana Industrial Security Force and the Haryana Armed Police concerned had inducted many police personnel much after the code came into operation and without following laid down procedures, it said.
The report said at many places interviews for recruitments in the police had been held and results announced much after the code came into force.
Further, it said, in the police department at other levels like cooks, sweepers, barbers and drivers, recruitments had been made in violation of the code and without going through the procedures under the rules.
Hundreds of junior basic teachers had been allowed to join various places of posting after the code came into force, the report said.
It said that without any written notice and without any agenda, a Cabinet meeting was held at the residence of the Chief Minister, Haryana at Chandigarh on December 17, 2004 at 10.30 pm wherein the creation of a new district was approved. This violated the code, which had come into effect in the afternoon of December 17.
A special supplement on achievements of the Haryana Government was printed on January 1, 2005, in a daily newspaper which was against the spirit of the code and against the concept of providing a level-playing field for all political parties since the supplement detailed the achievements of the Government of Haryana with photographs of the Chief Minister and Finance Minister.
The Public Relation Department of the Haryana Government continued to give advertisements and notices of tenders and auctions, which too, violated the code. The poll panel had sent the inquiry team after expressing dissatisfaction with the report of the state Chief Secretary, who had been called upon by the commission to inquire the incident.
“The commission was not fully convinced about the course of events mentioned in the report. The commission has, therefore, decided to sent a team of officer,” it said.
The Commission had issued show-cause notices to the INLD and party leader Abhey Chautala for violating the code and threatened to derecognise the party for violating the code.
Taking cognizance of the job promises made by INLD leader Abhey Chautala, the commission has said that his statement amounted to “alluring the electors by promise of government jobs and therefore constitutes bribery.”
“The commission has decided to issue show cause notice to Abhey Chautala as to why action shall not be taken against him for his conduct,” the poll panel said.
