Gauhati High Court dismisses plea seeking requisition of forest officials for election duty

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government has informed the Gauhati High Court that the former has kept in abeyance its order of transferring three Forest officials and engaging them in election duties. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has submitted before the High Court that the officials have been exempted from election duties.

Three Forest officials had approached the High Court and filed petition challenging the State Government's order arguing that those engaged in the protection of forests and wildlife cannot be engaged in election duties. The Hand Book of Returning Officer 2014 under sub-clause (v) of 3.3.1(a) provides that the 'Territorial Staff' of Forest Department will not be requisitioned for deployment of election duty.

After hearing the submission of the State Government and ECI, the High Court closed the petition. The Court also asked the officials to approach the Court in case of any order issued by the government on the issue.

The officials are Sunnydeo Indradeo Choudhary, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Cachar Forest Division; Pankaj Sharma, DFO and Field Director of Nameri Tiger Reserve and Krishna Kamal Deuri, Deputy Conservator of Forest based at Panjabari in Guwahati.

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