KOZHIKODE: The notorious poll rigging case of Eruvassy in Kannur during the Parliament elections in 2014 has come to haunt the CPM again. Following a High Court order, the poll documents of booth number 109 of Eruvassy were handed over to Kudiyanmala police for investigation on Monday. The case is that CPM workers had allegedly cast fake votes of 59 persons in connivance with the polling officials.
A case had been charged against 26 CPM workers with the booth-level officer (BLO) as the first accused in the wake of a complaint filed by Congress Eruvassy mandalam president Joseph Kottukapally. Sections under forgery and electoral offences were charged against the accused.
According to the complainant, of the 59 persons, 27 were abroad, 30 out of Kerala and two bed-ridden. He argued that if the persons abroad had come, that could be traced from their passports. Earlier, Mr Kottukapally’s complaint was rejected by the Kudiyanmala police and he approached the judicial first class magistrate court in Thaliparamba.
As per the court orders, an FIR was registered by Kudiyanmala police who visited the households of 20 persons and confirmed that they were not present on the polling day. But the case got stuck due to the unavailability of documents.
The then district collector was reluctant to hand over the records of the booth saying that he needed an order from the High Court. Mr Kottukapally approached the HC which ordered to hand over the records which were kept in the treasury.
“Actually, the CPM had cast 150 fake votes in our booth alone. But we could produce the documents of 59 voters only. Nineteen CPM workers cast the votes of others in front of polling officers,” Mr Kottukapally told DC. He was outside the booth and witnessed the malpractice helplessly.
Kudiyanmala SHO, M.N. Bejoy, said that they had received the poll records and would go through them. The police will initiate action against those who cast fake votes of 20 voters, which was confirmed in the probe, and the officers who connived with the offence.
