Court reserves order on Atishi’s complaint against Gautam Gambhir

New Delhi: A court here on Monday reserved its order on East Delhi Lok Sabha seat candidate Atishi’s plea seeking summoning of records from state election commission on her allegation that her BJP rival Gautam Gambhir holds two voter ID cards.

Metropolitan Magistrate Viplav Dabas said that he will deliver order on May 13 whether to summon records and documents from the state poll panel.

Atishi had filed the complaint at the Tis Hazari Court, seeking direction for police investigation into offences punishable under Sections 17 and 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

“As per Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, no person is entitled to be enrolled as a voter in more than one constituency. Section 31 makes false declaration in the matter of inclusion or exclusion of voter rolls punishable with up to one year in prison,” she said.

Atishi also said Gambhir had stated in his affidavit, submitted to the Returning Officer at the time of nomination, that he was only registered to vote in the Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency, with EPIC No SMM1357243.

However, it was discovered after the scrutiny period had concluded that Gambhir was also registered to vote in Karol Bagh Assembly constituency with EPIC No RJN1616218, she claimed, adding that this “fact was also deliberately and wilfully concealed by Gambhir during the time of filing and scrutiny of his nomination, as witnessed by the Returning Officer, presumably to avoid rejection of his nomination”.

The concealment of information provided in an election affidavit is also punishable under Section 125A of the said Act, with up to six months in jail, she added.

Gambhir’s nomination was held up due to objections raised by the AAP candidate due to technical errors in the affidavit.

Delhi will go to polls on May 12.

 Published on: May 6, 2019 at 17:56 IST

IANS