Ernakulam Collector orders criminal proceedings against 42 for enrolling in voter’s list using fake documents

District Collector G. Priyanka on Friday directed to initiate criminal proceedings against 42 persons registered in the electoral roll and officials colluding with them for allegedly using fake residence documents.

Ernakulam MLA TJ Vinod said on Friday that the Collector has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kochi City) to initiate action against officials for not taking timely action on complaints regarding irregularities in voter registration.

The Collector passed the order following a complaint by Henry Austin, representing Division 25 of the Kochi Corporation.

According to Mr. Austin, Congress had filed a complaint against an attempt to register 60 voters in five booths in its division using 15 leases made using photocopies of four stamp papers. He said that after the official investigation, 18 of the voters were removed from the list, and during the hearings held on November 10 and 11, it was confirmed that the remaining 42 voters were added to the list.

The election cell in the district had recommended that their names be removed from the list and included in criminal cases after they did not turn up for the hearing. He said officials could not remove the names as the Election Commission had locked the list. On November 26, the commission issued an order stating that cases of irregularities in voter registrations could only be evaluated after the elections.

Mr Austin approached the Collector on Friday after a hearing conducted by the electoral registrar at Maharaja College, Ernakulam, clarified that the names of 42 voters would remain in the list.