Madras HC plea seeks CBI probe into electoral malpractices in cancelled RK Nagar bypolls

Chennai: A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court for a CBI probe into alleged electoral malpractices in the run up to 12 April by-election in RK Nagar Assembly constituency which was cancelled. Advocate MP Vairakannan, who initially moved a petition for registration of an FIR as sought by the Election Commission into the malpractices, has filed an additional affidavit seeking a CBI probe. [caption id=“attachment_3891937” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Madras High Court. News18[/caption] Claiming that the names of some Tamil Nadu ministers were mentioned in an EC report related to the malpractices, the petitioner said state police cannot be expected to conduct a fair probe. “I apprehend that if the investigation is conducted by the state police, the investigation will be in favour of the Tamil Nadu Ministers against whom the report was filed by the Election Commission of India,” the affidavit said. Vairakannan filed the petition seeking lodging of FIR after accessing the relevant information under the Right to Information Act. During the previous hearing, the EC had informed the court on 19 June that an FIR had been registered in April itself based on its report on the electoral malpractices in the constituency, including distribution of huge sums of money to voters. The FIR had been lodged against unnamed persons on a complaint by the returning officer for the constituency. In the additional affidavit, the petitioner submitted that though the EC report had names of some ministers, these were not included in the FIR. “This would show the investigation is being influenced by state ministers, including the chief minister,” he alleged. At the last hearing of the petition on 14 July, a bench comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice N Seshasayee had directed the city Joint commissioner of Police (East) to monitor the case and file a status report on 23 August. The bench, which sought to know why three names mentioned in the EC report were not in the FIR, had also asked the Election Commission counsel Nirajan Rajagopalan to file the poll panel’s counter affidavit.