ECI Work Order That Sparked Letters To Cabinet Secretary, 8 Controversies: News18 Accesses Document

Last Updated:September 25, 2026, 2:24 PM IST

News18 India accesses document: Sources say changes introduced through the July 28 work order drew objections from Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi

Security personnel stand guard outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office, at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. (IMAGE: PTI FILE)

Amid controversy inside ECI, News18 India has accessed an exclusive copy of a work allocation order issued within the Election Commission of India on July 28, which became a point of contention over the distribution of administrative, IT and grievance-related responsibilities among senior officials.

Two Election Commissioners had raised objections on the July 28 work order.

Sources said the changes introduced through the July 28 work order drew objections from Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. According to sources, the issue was subsequently discussed within the Commission.

Sources further said that the matter was referred to in separate letters written by the two Election Commissioners to the Cabinet Secretary on July 29. In two letters, the work distribution without Commission knowledge, work roster and the official issue was raised. The exact contents of the letter have not been made public.

The work order was issued by then Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and officer in charge of administrative matters, Manish Garg, on July 28. The development assumed significance as administrative matters in the Election Commission are assigned to DEC Bhanu Pratap Yeturu. Sources said Yeturu was on leave at the time, following which Garg issued the order in his capacity as the officer handling administrative matters as in-charge.

IT RESPONSIBILITIES CHANGED IN JULY 28 ORDER

The work order brought a significant change in the allocation of IT-related responsibilities within the Commission. According to the copy accessed by News18 India, IT and Grievances/PGRS responsibilities were taken away from Deputy Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar and assigned directly to Director General (IT) Seema Khanna. Under the revised arrangement, there was no Deputy Election Commissioner between the ECI and the DG (IT) in the reporting structure for these subjects. The July 28 order also left Sanjay Kumar with responsibility for electoral roll-related matters.

It must be noted that almost after a month, DEC Sanjay Kumar was prematurely repatriated from ECI to his parent cadre on personal grounds as per DoPT order.

WHAT THE EARLIER WORK ORDER SHOWED

News18 India has also accessed an earlier work allocation order issued on September 23, 2025. The seventh column of that order shows that DEC Sanjay Kumar was responsible for electoral rolls, IT and Grievances/PGRS.

The earlier arrangement also provided for DG (IT) Seema Khanna to report to Sanjay Kumar on IT-related matters. The reporting chain thereafter ran through the Deputy Election Commissioner to the Election Commission. Sources said that while Seema Khanna was handling a substantial part of the day-to-day IT work, the formal reporting structure continued through DEC Sanjay Kumar.

WHY THE WORK ORDER BECAME SIGNIFICANT

Sources said the controversy was not limited to administrative work allocation. The work order also determined the distribution of responsibilities among different Deputy Election Commissioners.

Traditionally, sources said, work allocation orders in the Election Commission have been placed before the Commission, with final approval taken at the Commission level.

The July 28 order therefore raised questions over the process through which the revised allocation of responsibilities was issued.

EARLIER ARRANGEMENT REPORTEDLY RESTORED ORALLY

Sources said that after objections were raised, the earlier work allocation arrangement was verbally restored. However, according to sources, no separate written order has so far been issued formally recording the restoration of the earlier arrangement. This has raised questions over the formal status of the work allocation and the reporting structure for IT and grievance-related matters.

Consequently, with then DEC Sanjay Kumar leaving the Election Commission office and the absence of any DEC-level officer between the DG (IT) and the Commission, the formal order issued dated July 28 has become effective.

The issue assumes significance because work allocation orders determine not only the distribution of responsibilities among senior officials but also the reporting channels through which various departments function and submit matters to the Election Commission.

JULY 28 WORK ORDER AND 8 CONTROVERSIAL POINTS

1. The July 28 work order was issued without the knowledge of the two Election Commissioners. News18 India has accessed a copy of the July 28 work order.

2. Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections to the changes introduced through the July 28 work order and to the order being issued without the Commission’s knowledge.

3. Following the work order, both Election Commissioners wrote separate letters to the Cabinet Secretary on July 29. The letters raised issues related to work distribution, the work roster and the order being issued without the Commission’s knowledge. However, the exact contents of the two letters have not been made public.

4. The revised work allocation of July 28 was different from the earlier arrangement dated September 23, 2025, under which DEC Sanjay Kumar was responsible for Electoral Rolls, IT and Grievances/PGRS.

5. Under the earlier arrangement, DG (IT) Seema Khanna reported to DEC Sanjay Kumar on IT-related matters, with the formal reporting chain running through the DEC to the Election Commission. Under the July 28 order, IT and Grievances/PGRS responsibilities were shifted from DEC Sanjay Kumar to DG (IT) Seema Khanna.

6. The new arrangement under the July 28 work order removed the DEC-level reporting layer between the DG (IT) and the Election Commission for these responsibilities.

7. The July 28 work order was issued by then Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and officer in charge of administrative matters, Manish Garg. The order was issued at a time when DEC Bhanu Pratap Yeturu, who was responsible for administrative matters, was reportedly on leave.

8. Within about a month of the July 28 work order, DEC Sanjay Kumar was prematurely repatriated from the ECI to his parent cadre on personal grounds, as per a DoPT order.

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What changes were introduced regarding IT responsibilities in the ECI work order?

The July 28 work order shifted IT and Grievances/PGRS responsibilities directly to Director General (IT) Seema Khanna, removing the Deputy Election Commissioner reporting layer that previously existed between the ECI and the DG (IT).

Who issued the July 28 work allocation order within the Election Commission?

The controversial work order was issued by Manish Garg, the then Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and officer in charge of administrative matters, while administrative DEC Bhanu Pratap Yeturu was on leave.

Why did Election Commissioners write to the Cabinet Secretary following the order?

Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote separate letters to the Cabinet Secretary on July 29 to object to the work distribution, roster changes, and the fact that the order was issued without the Commission’s knowledge.

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