Rebuke DEO, says MCTA

SHILLONG, FEB 7: The Meghalaya College Teachers’ Association (MCTA) submitted a petition to the Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), P Naik demanding that the Ri Bhoi District Election Officer (DEO) Akash Deep must be reprimanded for allegedly violating the ‘representation of the people Act, 1951’ by appointing teachers of a deficit college as presiding officers for the upcoming polls slated on February 23.

The demand came after the Ri Bhoi DEO failed to release the teachers as presiding officers even after the MCTA requests.

MCTA general secretary Batskhem Myrboh said, “The district election officer has deliberately breach the section 26 (1) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951 by appointing 10 faculty members of the Union Christian College (UCC) which is not a government college as presiding officers without ascertaining their role, position or political affiliation.”

The MCTA argued that the teachers of such government aided colleges (deficit colleges) have not been categorized or enjoy the status of government servants beside the Meghalaya Services (Conduct) Rules, 1990 is not applicable to such employees.

According to the MCTA, appointing such employees will therefore, poses great threat towards the free and fair conduct of elections in the state.

Earlier, the MCTA has requested the DEO for exemption of the teachers of government aided colleges from election duty which was however turned down by the district administration.

Myrboh said, “We demand that the irresponsible and erring officer should be reprimanded.”- By Our Reporter