Multiple entries in voters' list: Kerala HC seeks Election Commission's response

Kochi: In the petition filed by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala complaining of existence of multiple votes and bogus voters in voters; list, the High Court of Kerala has sought the response of the Election Commission.

Chennithala had argued that across the state there were about four lakh bogus voters or multiple entries of same voters and sought the intervention of the High Court to freeze such votes.

The petition said, "Unless those fake/multiple entry voters are restrained from participating in the poll and criminal action is launched against those who are responsible for fake/multiple entries, and punished in accordance with law, far reaching consequences will be caused to the electoral system."

The petition, filed through Advocates T Asaf Ali and Laliza TY, argues that after the publication of the Final Electoral Rolls for the 2021 Assembly Elections on January 20, 2021, thousands of complaints had poured into the office of the petitioner alleging double votes, fake entries in the electoral rolls, illegal enrolment of votes in many times by single voter, multiple id cards etc.

He also pleaded that although he had lodged complaint with the Election Commission five times, there was no action. Followiong the Opposition leader's petition, the High Court bench asked the Commission to file an affidavit. The petition will come up for hearing again on Monday.