Amaravati: Ramesh Kumar denies all claims of State government in his termination from SEC

Amaravati: N Ramesh Kumar, then State Election Commissioner denied all the allegations and claims of the State government in its affidavit with the High Court, regarding his termination from the office of SEC.

His advocate Narasipuram Ashwani Kumar filed counter affidavit to the State government in the HC on Sunday. It is known that the State Government filed an affidavit against various PILs filed in the HC against the removal of Ramesh Kumar. He himself filed separate Write petition, apart from others.

Ramesh Kumar gave a point by point and parawise reply to the State government. He explained in his affidavit that there was no truth in the arguments of the State government on its claims that circumstances led to issuance of the impugned ordinance and immediate necessity.

He urged the High Court to declare the impugned ordinance as unconstitutional.

The State Government came up with electoral reforms overnight which had the effect of removing the incumbent State Election Commissioner. Pointing at this, Ramesh Kumar maintained that, "I submit that there was no basis, such as a report by a committee or any study by any expert group or recommendations thereof, which suggested in reduction of the term of State Election Commissioner". The electoral reforms are a result of study by an expert committee and its recommendations. In this case, the circumstances in which the impugned ordinance was promulgated cannot be lost sight of, he said.

He made Justice V Kanagaraj, SEC, Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, Principal Secretary, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department, Principal Secretary, General Administration Department and Secretary of State Election Commission as respondents.