by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Are Ashok Lavasa's days numbered ?
Government wants him to quit
Wife made Independent Director in 10 companies
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Sep 24
The controversial Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa is understood to have been conveyed to put in his papers.
Highly placed sources in the government say that he has been informally told to resign his Constitutional post. It is learnt that the government wants to undertake a proper inquiry after reports surfaced in the media that his wife was appointed as Independent Director on the boards of 10 major companies. She was taken on the boards of these companies when Ashok Lavasa was holding sensitive positions in the government.
Interestingly, it was the Modi government that gave him one plum post after another beginning with Power Secretary in August, 2014, then Environment Secretary and later as Finance Secretary 2016. After retirement in October 2017, he was rewarded for his services as Election Commissioner in January 2018. Had his honeymoon with the government continued, he would have become Chief Election Commissioner in April 2021. But times have changed and the government doesn't want him to continue to hold a coveted post when serious case of impropriety and conflict of interest has come to light involving his wife.
Ashok Lavasa created a stir when he differed with the the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and other colleague during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
He differed with his colleagues on alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the PM and BJP chief Amit Shah. Though he clarified later saying “I have no axe to grind and my concern is to have a system of disposal of MCC violation cases in a timebound and transparent, and non-discriminatory manner.” So much so that Lavasa even recused himself from all meetings to discuss critical issues relating to the conduct of Lok Sabha polls.
After the massive victory of the BJP, Lavasa went into a shell. But it seems an annoyed government decided to look into his conduct when he was holding key posts as an IAS officer. It was discovered that his wife Novel Lavasa became a favourite with some of the companies and was inducted as Independent director though she had nothing in plate prior to August 2014.
The government feels that its a clear case of “Conflict of Interest” and a detailed inquiry is necessary. The government wants to go into the details as to why these companies showed interest in her as she was only a retired SBI officer and known as a painter in Lutyen's Delhi. Since no inquiry can be conducted against a constitutional authority, he has been conveyed to quit to allow the process to begin.
The last word on the Lavasa-Government saga is yet to be written.
Ends
