New Delhi: IAS officer Mohammed Mohsin, who was suspended for checking PM Narendra Modi's helicopter in Odisha, on Friday claimed that the Election Commission order makes no mention of the sections he had violated during his duty. He said that despite repeated requests, the poll panel or the district administration has not shared the complaint made against him.
"I had ordered videography during the April 16 rally but did not direct the search of PM Modi's chopper. I was not at the spot when the search took place," Mohsin told News18, adding that "judicious videography" is permitted under existing guidelines.
The IAS officer claimed that he advised the videography take place only after consulting with Special Protection Group officials. On an earlier occasion, he said that Superintendent of Police of Sambalpur and "Shri Uday of SPG" agreed to allow the helicopter to be videographed from a distance.
"My job was to supervise election work done by the district administration. As an observer, it's my job to supervise poll work. I have not violated any instructions or order," the officer asserted.
Claiming that his suspension order is "illegal" and "illogical", Mohsin alleged, "The poll panel has not shared the district administration's report or complaint against me. I am still not aware of what the administration has said about me."
The IAS officer from Karnataka further claimed that despite his repeated requests to the district administration, they have not shared the report. "The officials told me that it's up to the EC to share reports with me. I must be told what charges have been laid against me," he said, adding that the order is "completely hostile towards me".
On Thursday, Mohsin's suspension was revoked but he has been barred from election duty in future. The Central Administrative Tribunal in Bengaluru had stayed the poll panel's order.
The officer's counsel had also submitted before the tribunal earlier reports of packages taken from the prime minister's cavalcade to another vehicle in Karnataka.
Mohsin, who is currently Secretary to government, Backward Classes Welfare Department, had earlier overseen elections in Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh besides elections in Karnataka.
The Election Commission suspension order refers to two instructions which it claims the IAS officer violated, one from 2014 and another from 2019. The 2014 instruction is about the use of government vehicles during the model code of conduct period.
This instruction allows an exception to be made for the prime minister. There is no mention of whether the prime minister's vehicle can be inspected in this instruction.
The 2019 instruction refers to the protocol for inspection of chartered aircraft or helicopters during the election process. While the section for commercial airports says that all passengers except those exempted from the rules shall be searched before embarkation, the section on non-commercial airports and helipads makes no such mention, leaving any exemption ambiguous.
(With inputs from Revathi Rajeevan in Bengaluru)
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