Chandigarh: Haryana is all set to have the dubious distinction of being the first state in the country to have an FIR registered in Rajya Sabha elections. The Election Commission of India has asked the state's chief electoral officer (CEO) to register an FIR on the basis of a complaint by noted lawyer R K Anand who had had lost to media mogul Subhash Chandra in the polls in June. The recommendation was made after the commission found evidence to back the allegation that an unauthorized pen was used during voting that led to a large number of Congress votes being cancelled.
The commission has also recommended disciplinary action against R K Nandal, secretary of the Haryana assembly, for lack of supervisory control and negligence. He was the returning officer for the polls. Haryana's CEO Anukur Gupta has submitted a complaint to the Sector 3 police station in Chandigarh.
SHO Poonam Dilawari said that the FIR would be registered by Thursday evening.
Nandal has also been indicted for concealing material facts related to the authorized pen not being used. Although the commission had sent its findings to the CEO and chief secretary of Haryana on September 9, the documents were released on Wednesday by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala. Anand was an independent backed by INLD and BJP had backed Chandra.
The commission wants the FIR to include various sections of the Representation of People Act related to electoral offences besides criminal conspiracy, interference in the election process, theft, cheating, mischief and forgery. The case will be filed against persons on election duty or whose conduct resulted in the votes being cancelled.
Indicting Nandal, the commission also observed that Nandal was in charge of election related activities inside the polling station and that there was serious lack of supervisory control and negligence as an unauthorized pen was used for marking ballot papers.
The commission has also recommended disciplinary action against R K Nandal, secretary of the Haryana assembly, for lack of supervisory control and negligence. He was the returning officer for the polls. Haryana's CEO Anukur Gupta has submitted a complaint to the Sector 3 police station in Chandigarh.
SHO Poonam Dilawari said that the FIR would be registered by Thursday evening.
Nandal has also been indicted for concealing material facts related to the authorized pen not being used. Although the commission had sent its findings to the CEO and chief secretary of Haryana on September 9, the documents were released on Wednesday by Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala. Anand was an independent backed by INLD and BJP had backed Chandra.
The commission wants the FIR to include various sections of the Representation of People Act related to electoral offences besides criminal conspiracy, interference in the election process, theft, cheating, mischief and forgery. The case will be filed against persons on election duty or whose conduct resulted in the votes being cancelled.
Indicting Nandal, the commission also observed that Nandal was in charge of election related activities inside the polling station and that there was serious lack of supervisory control and negligence as an unauthorized pen was used for marking ballot papers.