Ker HC directs EC to ensure only one vote for a person

The Kerala High Court on Mondaydirected the Election Commission to take steps to ensure thatvoters having their names entered in voters list in multipleconstituencies cast only one vote in the April 6 polls to theState Assembly.

The court gave the interim order on a plea filed byCongress leader Ramesh Chennithala seeking to restrain fakeand multiple entry voters from participating in the April 6polls.

Considering the plea, the court said this was aserious issue concerning the rights of the citizens.

The court will consider the case further on Tuesday.

The court on Friday had sought the views of the pollpanel on the plea.

The Commission on Monday informed the court that itwill ensure the sanctity of the elections by ensuring that nomultiple votes are cast by such voters in the polls.

In his plea, Chennithala hadsought criminal actionagainst those responsible for fake and multiple entry ofvoters names in 131 Assembly constituencies in the state.

He alleged that a scrutiny of the electoral rollswould prove that there were more than 4,34,042 fake andmultiple entry voters in these Assembly segments.

The Congress leader, who is also the Leader of theOpposition in the state Assembly, submitted he was “highlyaggrieved by the gross lethargy and inaction” of the pollpanel in not taking action in pursuance of letters sent tothem in rectifying the mistakes in the electoral rolls.

He appealed to the court to issue an interim orderdirecting the Election Commission to ensure that fake andmultiple entry voters in the electoral roll are not permittedto vote in the assembly election.

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