Shimla | TNR
Himachal’s former Election Commissioner KC Sharma (1999-2004), reacting to the appointment of Chief Secretary Anil Khachi as the new state EC, said it was a routine process and as per tradition.
Khachi had opted for voluntary retirement following which the state government had appointed him as the state EC, a post which had been lying vacant.
Retired bureaucrats often appointed as EC
Sharma told TNR, “It would be incorrect to say that he was removed from the post of Chief Secretary to be appointed as the state Election Commissioner.”
“In fact, several retired and serving bureaucrats have often been considered for the post,” he said.
Khachi a strict disciplinarian
The appointment of Khachi, known to be an upright official, comes in the backdrop of his confrontation with some ministers of the state Cabinet.
A strict disciplinarian, his argument over disaster fund allocation with hydel power minister Mahendra Singh Thakur during a Cabinet meeting had grabbed the headlines. A section of people viewed the current development related to Khachi as a fallout of this.
However, Sharma contended that this elevation of Khachi is nothing but a reward for his work as Chief Secretary.
Khachi opted for voluntary retirement
Khachi opted for voluntary retirement even though he had a year and a half more of his service left as Chief Secretary.
The Jairam Thakur government has appointed him the state EC in adherence to the rules laid down in the Panchayati Raj Act, which states that only retired bureaucrats could take over this position.
