Relief for suspended Nalagarh poll official

Tribune News Service
Solan, May 30

The sector officer of the Kashmirpur polling booth in Nalagarh subdivision, who had been suspended by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) after the polling staff forgot to delete the mock poll data, got a major relief from the High Court, which put on hold his suspension last evening.

The officer had approached the court and contended that he had no role in the error committed during polling in the Kashmirpur booth on May 19. He was suspended without being accorded an opportunity of being heard.

The polling staff deputed at the booth, the presiding officer, an assistant presiding officer and two polling officers, had forgotten to delete the data of the mock polling from the control panel where 50 votes had been cast.

Though its voter verified paper audit trail slips had been collected and sealed in the designated black envelop, the actual polling data also counted 50 mock votes till 86 votes were registered.

The officer said the app, through which the polling information was being communicated to the assistant returning officer as well as the control room, was available with the presiding officer but he had no access to it.

He had detected the error. With eight polling booths under him, he had conducted the mock poll in another polling booths.