Removal of A.P.’s leading election official through regulation path is a case of abuse of power.

The legality of the removal of the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner (SEC) is seriously in doubt. That it was the conclusion of an open conflict in between the Election Commissioner, N. Ramesh Kumar, and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy makes it a glaring instance of abuse of power. The State federal government got the Governor to issue an ordinance to cut the SEC’s tenure from five to three years, and change the criterion for holding that workplace from being an officer of the rank of Principal Secretary and above to one who had actually worked as a High Court judge. This instantly rendered Mr. Kumar’s continuation void. Last month, just days before the regional body polls were to be held, the SEC held off the elections, mentioning the COVID-19 break out. The Sta