A set of Right to Information (RTI) replies obtained from the Office of the District Education Officer (DEO), Ambikapur, has revealed large-scale financial irregularities in procurement during the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) enforced for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The information, sought by RTI activist Parvez Alam Gandhi, indicates that purchases exceeding Rs 5 crore were made in a single day dated May 23, 2024 by then DEO Ashok Kumar Sinha, despite the election code being in force. The RTI documents availed to The Hitavada and reviewed by this newspaper confirm that multiple supply orders and payment approvals were issued by the DEO’s office during the MCC period. The reviewed records include copies of administrative sanctions, vouchers, and supply bills for furniture, bicycles, and science lab kits-all dated May 23, 2024.

 

According to the RTI disclosures, the DEO’s office issued purchase orders for furniture, laboratory equipment, and bicycles on the same date. While sanction records show procurement of furniture valued above Rs 5 crore and science practical materials worth Rs 39.20 lakh, Gandhi’s inspection of school records found that the materials were never delivered to the intended institutions. The timing of these transactions, he noted, directly violated the Election Commission’s MCC guidelines that prohibit new purchases or tenders during the notified period. In one major instance, 5,588 bicycles were reportedly purchased under the Saraswati Cycle Scheme at a total cost of Rs 2.35 crore, even though the MCC was operational across Chhattisgarh.

 

The supply orders examined under the RTI response showed that all transactions were processed through a single firm, raising concerns of collusion and inflated billing. The RTI disclosures further indicate that the DEO’s office recorded only Rs 70-85 lakh as acknowledged procurement, leaving a major discrepancy of several crores between sanctioned amounts and declared purchases. In his complaint addressed to Divisional Commissioner, Ambikapur, Gandhi alleged that the procurement was “entirely fabricated,” adding that “no trace of delivered furniture or equipment exists in any of the surveyed schools.” Citing documentary evidence, Gandhi’s petition demands that a First Information Report (FIR) be lodged against former DEO Ashok Kumar Sinha and that a departmental inquiry be initiated to verify the financial trail. The RTI annexures include supply orders, payment vouchers, and administrative approvals bearing the same date (May 23, 2024) when the MCC was in force. The activist contends that the scale and timing of the purchases suggest deliberate misuse of office and gross violation of financial propriety. “These payments were processed without physical verification or stock entry.

 

The matter requires an independent audit and criminal investigation,” Gandhi stated in his letter to the divisional administration. The complaint, supported by certified RTI copies, has urged the Commissioner’s office to direct immediate inquiry into the transactions and enforce disciplinary measures against the officer concerned. When contacted by this newspaper reporter, Divisional Commissioner Narendra Kumar Dugga said he was out of station and declined to comment on the matter. However, the then DEO Ashok Kumar Sinha, despite repeated attempts by this newspaper, did not respond to calls or messages seeking his version regarding the allegations. He briefly answered one WhatsApp call, but disconnected after hearing the queries and has since continued to evade repeated follow-up calls.