Proxy vote costs dearly

CHANDIGARH, MAY 11: An Uttar Pradesh resident, Ishwar Dutt, was today convicted for casting a proxy vote in the general election polls held on February 16, 1998. After the prosecution proved the charge, the Magistrate held that the accused8217;s identity was false. He was thus convicted and released on probation for one year after he furnished a probationary bond of Rs 10,000 along with one surety of the like amount.

Ishwar Dutt had been booked on February 16 last year following the complaint of Anuj Kumar Agarwal who was presiding officer of booth number 360 at Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, where the said vote was cast.

The allegation against the accused was that on the day of polling he claimed himself to be one Sareed Singh whose name figured at serial number 597 in the electoral roll of the Chandigarh constituency. The complainant got suspicious and challenged the identity of the accused. Following this, a case was registered against the accused under Section 171 F of the IPC. He was then arrested and handed over to the police.