EC says curbs on pay report valid

Kochi, Mar 13 (UNI) The Election Commission (EC) informed the Kerala High Court that the restriction imposed by it on the implementation of Ninth Pay Commission report by the state government before the Assembly elections was valid.

The EC admitted it directed the state government to defer the implementation of pay commission recommendations till the completion of election process so as to ensure free and fair elections. The implementation of the report was likely to benefit a substantial percentage of electorate, including the officers discharging election duties, and likely to have influenced voters in the exercise of franchise.

It was with the objecting of preventing such an evil that a code of conduct was formulated.

Therefore, the direction to with hold the government's decision to implement the recommendations was perfectly valid and had been issued with the objecting of maintaining fairness in the election.

The EC justified its stance before the court as two writ petitions had been filed saying the commission had no power to restrain the implementation of the report.

The writ petition filed by Kerala NGO Association and Kerala Revenue Staff Association had been adjourned by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice V K Bali and Justice J B Koshy till Thursday for hearing.

UNI XR AD OM RK2112