Book voters also for taking cash, says PIL

Rated to be the first of its kind in the country, the PIL sought the court to pull up the Election Commission of India (ECI) for its failure to lodge complaints against bribe-taking voters in the RK Nagar by-poll. 

When the PIL came up before the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar, Senior counsel Nalini Chidambaram, appearing on behalf of the petitioner Arun Natarajan, part of a group campaigning against corrupt poll practices, argued that section 171(b) of the IPC clearly states that bribe takers are equally guilty of the offence of bribery. 

She said, the ECI’s report on the recent cancellation of the RK Nagar constituency dwells merely on the bribe givers while not a mention has been made about the bribe takers when details have emerged that out of the 2.4 lakh eligible voters at least 2 lakh voters were offered as much as Rs 4,000 each. 

Also, pointing out that some complaints spoke about door numbers where cash, sarees and household articles were distributed, she said no voter has been mentioned in the complaint despite ECI’s flying squads being aware of the identity of the voters.