Act against Punjab Information Commissioner: EC

Chandigarh, Feb 15 (IANS) The Election Commission has requested the Punjab Governor to issue advisory or take action, as deemed necessary, against Information Commissioner Anumit Singh Sodhi.

Chief Electoral Officer S. Karuna Raju said on Tuesday, two complaints were received against Sodhi, alleging that he, in violation of the powers conferred upon him as the Information Commissioner, is running an election campaign in favour of his father Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi.

The EC letter read: "The video or pictures sent by the complainant do not leave any doubt that Anumit Singh is taking part in the election campaign and undertaking political activity."

"On the basis of the reports, facts, rules and provisions of Model Code of Conduct, the commission has found that Anumit Singh Sodhi has violated the general provisions of RTI Act and the provisions of Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission of India."

The EC has also written a letter to the Secretary, State Information Commission, citing "the Election Commission has desired that it may be brought to the notice of all Information Commissioners to restrain them from any campaigning in official vehicle, keeping in view Section 12 (6) of Right to Information Act, 2005 and Commission's extant instructions on tours of members of various commissions during the period of elections".

Punjab will go to the polls for 117-member Assembly on February 20.

In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, the Congress won 77 seats, while the SAD-BJP alliance could win only 18 seats. The AAP emerged as the second-largest party with 20 seats.