In Maya’s UP,all not unfair for Amar

In his latest communication sent on Friday,Dube cited the Representation of People Act to tell the Commission that as the RO,he was on deputation with the EC only from the time of notification of election till the results were declared. At present,he was under the administrative control of the Speaker of the UP Assembly and without his permission,he could not look into the matter.

In December 2008,the US media carried reports that Singh had contributed Rs 43 crore to the Clinton Foundation. In February 2009,one Vishwanath Chaturvedi filed a petition before the Election Commission,alleging Singh had concealed information about his assets in his affidavit filed at the time of contesting the Rajya Sabha election.

Chaturvedi said Singh had disclosed assets worth Rs 37 crore,but had made a donation of Rs 43 crore to the Clinton Foundation. He also raised the question whether Singh had taken the mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India,which is mandatory for such transactions.

In March,the EC directed Dube to “look” into the complaint. In his letter to the EC on April 6,Dube wondered why the RO should inquire into the issue when the Commission had full power to do this. He also said as the returning officer,his role ended after the completion of the election process.

On July 6,the Commission wrote back to Dube,saying as the returning officer,he was the custodian of all records related to the election and,therefore,his role does not end after the completion of the election. The commission “directed” Dube to look into the complaint.

In his reply to the Commission on Friday,Dube said he cannot ascertain the veracity of the affidavit without conducting an inquiry and,as the returning officer he had no authority to conduct such an inquiry. Dube is also reported to have told the EC that the Chief Electoral Officer of UP,who was under the direct control of the EC,had all documents and the related papers.

Chaturvedi said,“Both the UP Assembly secretary and the Election Commission were trying to shield Amar Singh. I will soon move court against the failure of the EC to conduct a probe and take suitable action.”