Controversy over ‘illegal’ shifting of ballots in Kochi

The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed that ballots for elections should not be dispatched from Chennai while issuing a notice to the Central Sabha.

September 17, 2014 09:41 am | Updated 09:41 am IST - KOCHI:

A view of Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha building in Kochi

A view of Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha building in Kochi

The Kerala unit of the Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha is in the eye of another storm with the impending election to the State general council in a quandary following the alleged ‘illegal’ shifting of ballot papers to Chennai without the prior permission of the returning officer. Even as the panels contesting the election have hit out against the move as an attempt to sabotage the free, fair and democratic nature of the election, the Sabha Samrakshana Samithi has come out in the open questioning the very sanctity of the amendments to the constitution of the Kerala Sabha under which the election has been declared.

Sajan Mannali, chairman of the Samithi, accused that the Central Sabha had turned a blind eye to the findings of its own three-member investigation team into the malpractices and mismanagement of the Kerala unit. T.N. Vishwambaran, vice president of the Samithi, said seven years after a committee appointed by the Union Ministry for Human Resources found 504 bogus members in the State Sabha, their names still figure in the voters’ list without proper authentication. Similarly, the names of many deceased persons had been retained in the voters’ list, he said.

Rajendra Prasad, executive committee member, said the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed that ballots for elections should not be dispatched from Chennai while issuing a notice to the Central Sabha.

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