AFTER ELECTION Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan seeking action against an officer in the Election Commission of India on July 29, the Cabinet Secretariat decided to acknowledge their letters, but found that taking any action would be “inappropriate” and “construed as interference in the functioning of the Constitutional body”, internal records show.The file notings, provided by the Cabinet Secretariat in reply to an RTI application by transparency campaigner Commodore Lokesh K Batra (retired), show that the two Election Commissioners had written separately to the Cabinet Secretary seeking action against Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg. The RTI application had sought the details and file notings of the letters as reported by The Indian Express on September 23.The two Election Commissioners wrote that Garg had been assigned the additional charge of the administration division while the Deputy EC in-charge of administration, Bhanu Prakash Yeturu, was on leave from July 27 to August 9. The ECs wrote that Garg issued a work allocation order on July 28 within a few hours of assuming the charge. Sandhu wrote this was “without discussing or informing the revised allocation of work with the Commission or the undersigned”. Joshi wrote, in a separate but similar letter, that when he “requested for the relevant file from the Administration Division, it was not provided”.The file notings of the Cabinet Secretariat show that internal discussions took place on August 3 and August 4 before the Cabinet Secretary wrote back to the ECs on August 5 acknowledging their letters and marking it to the office of the CEC and the Department of Personnel and Training.Also Read | Election Commissioners knocked on Cabinet Secretary’s door over voter software integrityOn August 3, the noting, which was signed by officials going up the chain to Cabinet Secretary, says: “Both the ECs have stated that Shri Garg, after assuming the charge as link officer of DEC (Admn.), has issued an order regarding work allocation of equivalent and senior officers to him without discussing the revised work allocation with the Commission or the officers concerned. Further, aforementioned ECs have stated that this has happened despite repeated oral and written instructions to all concerned officers against taking such actions without prior discussion/ approval of the Commission. In this connection, we may request the Chief Election Commissioner for his opinion on the issue. Accordingly, a draft D.O. is put up for approval, please.”The next day, the matter was summed up in a noting where it was decided to bring the issue to the notice of the CEC and the DoPT. The Cabinet Secretariat noted on August 4 that the matter pertained to the conduct of an officer appointed in the Commission by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. It said the Election Commission operates as a multi-member Constitutional body and as per law, it is supposed to transact business unanimously as far as possible or by majority.Also read | 14 times in 10 months, two Election Commissioners objected on record to poll panel steps“The Commission is a Constitutional Body and is insulated from executive interference by design to ensure that it functions independently and in a transparent manner…The above communications are from the ECs in their individual capacity and, while they must be taken with due seriousness, they cannot be seen as a formal communication from the Commission as a whole,” the Cabinet Secretariat noted.Story continues below this adIt said that though Garg, an IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, was appointed by the ACC, he was now an officer of the ECI and his conduct was to be regulated by the ECI’s rules and guidelines.“The ECs have sent these communications for appropriate action; however, in the absence of any official communication from the Commission as a whole, any action at this stage may be inappropriate. It may also be construed as interference in the functioning of the Constitutional Body. Hence, it would be appropriate to send acknowledgement to both Election Commissioners with a copy to PPS to CEC for information of CEC,” the August 4 noting says.Also read | ‘Illegal, unauthorised’: Election Commissioners objected to Form 6 changeIt adds that since Garg is an all-India service officer, the DoPT Secretary and Establishment Officer should be informed for placing the matter on record. “…this will enable it to be taken into account in future decision making regarding the officer,” the noting said.Somanathan then responded to the ECs in separate letters, acknowledging their letters. The acknowledgment was marked to the DoPT Secretary and Establishment Officer and the PPS to the CEC.Story continues below this ad“This is to acknowledge the receipt of your D.O. letter dated 29th July, 2026 regarding the working of Shri Maneesh Garg, IAS (HP:1996), Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner in the Commission,” the Cabinet Secretary wrote to the two ECs.