Did K'taka SIT Just File a Charge Sheet in the Aland Voter Fraud Case?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The Special Investigation Team has filed a 22,000-page charge sheet in the Aland voter fraud case.
- Seven individuals, including a former BJP MLA, have been named as accused.
- Allegations include the deletion of nearly 6,000 votes from electoral rolls.
- The case has significant political ramifications as a Congress protest is planned.
- Accused individuals claim the case is politically motivated.
Bengaluru, Dec 13 (NationPress) The Special Investigation Team has submitted a charge sheet to the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court in Bengaluru regarding the alleged voter fraud linked to the Aland Assembly constituency in Karnataka, as confirmed by sources on Saturday.
This incident has garnered significant political attention, especially since the Congress party has organized a protest at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, aimed at addressing the alleged voter fraud. The timing of the charge sheet's filing coincides closely with the planned protest.
According to police reports, the charge sheet comprises a massive 22,000 pages and implicates seven individuals, including former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Subhash Guttedar and his son Harshanand. The SIT claims that a call centre was established to unlawfully delete 5,994 votes from the electoral rolls within the Aland constituency.
Furthermore, the charge sheet alleges that the former MLA made financial transactions to facilitate the supposed manipulation of voter data. Investigators asserted that the crime was substantiated through digital evidence seized during raids related to the investigation. Both Guttedar and his son are identified as the main suspects in this case.
The SIT was formed under the direction of senior IPS officer B.K. Singh, following allegations of vote theft raised by Congress MLA B.R. Patil.
Earlier, Guttedar and Harshanand had secured bail in this case.
In response to the charge sheet's filing, Harshanand claimed on Saturday that the case is politically charged. He alleged that the current Congress-led state government is misusing officials to link him and his father to the charge sheet.
He went on to note that despite the accusations surfacing before the 2023 Assembly elections, B.R. Patil ultimately won as a Congress candidate, and there was little to no progression in the case for nearly two years. “No evidence was found during this period, and the case remained stagnant,” he asserted.
Harshanand also contended that the case was only revived after Rahul Gandhi of Congress brought it to light. He accused Patil of leveraging the situation to gain favor with party leadership and obtain a ministerial role.
“We are unaware of the specifics of the charge sheet. We will review it with our legal team. Given that citizens nationwide have turned against the Congress party, they are orchestrating this vote-theft narrative against the BJP. Right before the so-called vote-theft rally in Delhi, authorities hastily filed the charge sheet using official manipulation,” he claimed.
Earlier this week, a notice was issued to them, and their statements were recorded by investigators.
“We clarified our involvement. No laptop was retrieved from our residence. Prove our involvement in court,” he challenged, addressing the allegations.