EC bribery case: Court to consider charge sheet on 25 July

A special court on 17 July decided to consider the charge sheet filed by the police against a middleman who was arrested in the Election Commission bribery case involving AIADMK (Amma) faction leader TTV Dhinakaran.

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry listed the case for 25 July to check whether the documents filed along with the charge sheet were complete.

It also extended till that day the judicial custody of alleged middleman Sukesh Chandrashekar, who was chargesheeted by the police on 14 July and was today brought to the court from jail following a production warrant.

Delhi Police Crime Branch, in its over 700-page charge sheet alleged that Dhinakaran and Chandrashekar, who was arrested on 16 April, had conspired to bribe the Election Commission (EC) officials to get the 'two leaves' symbol for their party.

The police has told the court that a supplementary final report would be filed later against other accused -- Dhinakaran, his close aide T P Mallikarjuna, suspected hawala operators Nathu Singh and Lalit Kumar -- who are out on bail, after completing the probe against them.

It has claimed that money recovered from alleged Chandrashekar was sent by Dhinakaran through unaccounted channels with the help of other accused persons.

Chandrashekar was chargesheeted for alleged offences under the IPC including forgery of valuable security, forgery for purpose of cheating, using forged document as genuine and possessing a forged document, intending to use it as genuine, personating a public servant and criminal conspiracy.

He was also charged with alleged offence of taking gratification by illegal means to influence public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Charge sheet named 36 witnesses to support the case.

If convicted, the offences carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The police has alleged that from the evidence collected so far, it was found that Chandrashekar and Dhinakaran were discussing the matter regarding 'two leaves' poll symbol pending before the EC.

It has said the forensic science laboratory results about the CD containing conversation of Chandrashekar and Dhinakaran and the contents of seized mobile phones, were awaited.

The report has said that investigation about the alleged involvement of ECI officials, recovered cars and the source and route of illegal channels of financial transactions was still in progress.

Chandrashekar was arrested for allegedly taking money from Dhinakaran to bribe ECI officials to get the AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol for the Sasikala faction.

According to the police, they had allegedly recovered cash worth Rs 1.3 crore from him at the time of the raid at a hotel in Chanakyapuri area of South Delhi.

Dhinakaran was arrested here on the night of April 25 after four days of questioning for allegedly attempting to bribe ECI officials for the symbol. Mallikarjuna was also arrested the same day.

His faction had hoped to obtain the symbol for the bypoll to the R K Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu which was later cancelled by ECI after the alleged irregularities surfaced.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who represented the constituency.

The ECI had frozen the AIADMK's symbol after the two factions of the party -- one led by Dhinakaran's aunt Sasikala and the other by former chief minister O Panneerselvam -- staked a claim to it.

Mallikarjuna was arrested for allegedly facilitating a Rs 50 crore deal between Dhinakaran and Chandrashekar.

Dhinakaran has been accused of arranging the money from undisclosed sources and getting it transferred from Chennai to Delhi through illegal channels.

-PTI