A Right to Information (RTI) response has revealed that the Cabinet Secretariat sent an acknowledgment to two Election Commissioners and copied Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for his “information” after they raised concerns about the working of Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg.

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According to the report, Election Commissioners S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote to Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan on July 29 regarding Maneesh Garg’s functioning. The Cabinet Secretariat subsequently acknowledged both letters and included the CEC in the communication.

The RTI response sheds light on how the Cabinet Secretariat handled the correspondence between the two Election Commissioners and the Cabinet Secretary.

In its response, the Cabinet Secretariat reportedly stated that the letters had been written by the commissioners in their individual capacities. It said the concerns needed to be treated seriously but clarified that the letters could not be considered formal communication from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as a whole.

The secretariat also indicated that, without official communication from the full commission, taking action could be interpreted as “interference.”

The disclosure highlights the distinction between individual communications from Election Commissioners and formal decisions or representations made by the Election Commission collectively.

The correspondence involved senior officials within India’s election administration and the Cabinet Secretariat. However, the available information does not establish that any action was taken against Maneesh Garg following the letters.

The RTI disclosure provides insight into the official handling of the matter, while leaving questions about the concerns raised in the original correspondence unanswered in the information provided.