Jabalpur, Aug 14: In a significant verdict, the Central Administrative Tribunal here today quashed the Election Commission's order to suspend three district collectors in Madhya Pradesh for alleged irregularities in preparation of voters' list saying it has no jurisdiction to take such action. Terming the EC order of march six as "unwarranted and uncalled for", a division bench of CAT comprising J K Kaushik (judicial) and A K Bhat (administrative) said the commission had no authority to suspend the then collectors of Rewa, Shahdol and Khargone. The EC had asked the state government to take disciplinary action by imposing major penalty to suspend the three collectors holding them responsible for some alleged irregularities found in the preparation of electoral rolls in the three districts. The state government, however, did not suspend the Collectors but subsequently transferred them elsewhere. The three collectors had challenged the validity of the EC order in cat submitting that the Election Commission had no jurisdiction against them.

The CAT, which admitted their petitions on March 17, had issued an interim stay on the EC order till final disposal of the petitions.

Bureau Report