EC asks Jharkhand to file FIR in the cash for votes allegations

The Election commission of India asked Jharkhand Government to file an FIR in the cash for vote allegations. The sting operation was carried out by a telivision channel. The ECI discussed the ramifications of the telivision report. The guilty could be punished with imprisonment up to five years, reports The Hindu.

The Election Commission on Tuesday directed the Jharkhand government to file a First Information Report against the MLAs allegedly involved in the ‘cash-for-Rajya Sabha vote' sting carried out by a television channel.

The Commission took serious note of the news report and discussed its ramifications. It pointed out that the channel had shown a few MLAs as saying that on payment, they could get their and their colleagues' first and second preference votes (in the Rajya Sabha poll) in the manner desired by the payer. “This amounts to offence of bribery at an election under Section 171-B of the IPC and also Sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.”

Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, if the offence is proved, the guilty could be punished with imprisonment of up to five years and fine.