MP: India’s first transgender MLA Shabnam Mausi booked for poll code violation

Anuppur, Nov 20 (PTI) Shabnam Mausi, who was the first transgender person in India to win an Assembly election, was on Monday booked in Anuppur in Madhya Pradesh for violation of model of conduct for allegedly failing to deposit a pistol with the police, an official said.

Mausi was issued a notice to deposit the pistol but did not do so after which she was booked under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant, Kotwali police station in charge Amar Verma said.

"Mausi deposited a 12-bore gun but failed to hand over the pistol. The pistol licence has been cancelled by the administration following this lapse," he said.

Depositing firearms on the orders of the police as part of enforcement of model code of conduct, which is in place in MP since October 9 for the November 17 Assembly polls, is mandatory. Poll results will be declared on December 3.

Mausi had made electoral history in February 2000 by becoming the first transgender person to be elected as MLA. She had won a bypoll from Sohagpur seat in Shahdo district which was necessitated by the death of sitting Congress legislator Krishnapal Singh.

She had defeated the BJP's Lallu Singh by a margin of more than 17,800 votes. However, in the 2003 Assembly polls, she managed to get just 1,400 votes and lost.

Sohagpur seat was merged with other Assembly constituencies in the delimitation exercise of 2008. PTI