Office of profit: EC issues new instructions

The Election Commission on Monday empowered the returning officers to reject nominations on ground of a candidate holding an "office of profit" at the stage of the scrutiny.

The tricky order is that a candidate should not hold any such office on the date of scrutiny and not at the time of filing of nomination. The Chief Electoral Officers of all five poll-bound states have been directed to reach up-to-date laws passed by Parliament and the State Legislatures exempting certain positions from disqualification under Article 191(1)(a) to the returning officers to facilitate the Returning Officers, so that no nomination is rejected for want of the information.