HYDERABAD: Chief Electoral Officer Shashank Goel directed officials to identify the persons who demanded money on Thursday for voting in the Huzurabad byelection, by verifying video footage and book cases against them.
The videos of voters, especially women, staging protests in front of the house of a sarpanch alleging that he did not distribute the amount although he received the same from the party went viral on Thursday. Some alleged discrimination in distribution saying they got lesser amount than others.
The Election Commission of India (EC) took a serious view of the protests. "Demanding money to cast votes is an offence like offering money to lure voters. Strict instructions have been issued to officials in Huzurabad constituency to verify video footage to identify those who demanded money and also those who distributed money, inquire at the ground level and book cases under relevant sections of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)," Goel told this newspaper.
At present, bribery of voters is a non-cognisable offence under CrPC and is punishable by imprisonment for a term of up to one year, or with fine, or both, under sections 171B and 171E of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The EC has been seeking for long to make it a cognisable offence but is pending with the Centre. A cognisable offence is one for which police can carry out an arrest without a warrant and initiate investigations.
Karimnagar police commissioner V. Satyanarayana on Friday warned the people who came onto the roads alleging that the political leaders were not giving money for casting their votes.
Speaking to media personnel, he said not only giving money to lure voters by leaders of political parties but also taking money by people to sell their votes was considered a crime. He said the police would lodge cases against the people who staged dharnas and road blockades demanding money for votes.
