T’puram: The appointment of chief electoral officer (CEO) D Sajith Babu as chairperson of Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has triggered questions over the mandatory approvals and procedure followed.Election Commission of India (ECI), while designating Sajith as Keralam’s CEO on Aug 14, directed him to relinquish all charges under the state govt.ECI later granted him limited approval to continue holding charge as special secretary of general education and minority welfare departments following a request from govt. The corresponding general administration department (GAD) order issued on Aug 24 listed only these two Secretariat charges and did not refer to the KITE chairpersonship.However, general education department issued an order on Sept 14 assigning Sajith the full additional charge of KITE chairperson. A reply to an RTI application indicates that the order cited Clause 22 of KITE’s Articles of Association, proceeding on the presumption that the chairpersonship was an ex-officio post co-terminus with the office of secretary, general education.This interpretation has come under scrutiny. The RTI reply states that the post of KITE chairperson or director is not an ex-officio or co-terminus post under Companies Act, 2013, and KITE’s Articles of Association. It also indicates that Clause 22 operates as an eligibility or nomination provision and does not automatically confer the chairpersonship on the holder of a govt post.The Sept 14 order describes the appointment as ‘full additional charge‘, suggesting that it is an independent administrative charge rather than an automatic extension of another post.Under the state’s Rules of Business, GAD is the competent authority for cadre postings, transfers and additional charges involving IAS officers. Records cited in connection with the issue show that previous KITE chairpersons were appointed through specific GAD orders, with the concurrence or approval of the chief minister. The present appointment marks a rare departure, being the first instance in which an additional secretary in general education department issued an order conferring the chairpersonship on the head of the department, without clearance from ECI or approval of the CM.
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