THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Monday approached the Kerala High Court to direct the Election Commission to appoint an inquiry commission to probe the allegation that leaders of the Kerala Police Association had collected postal ballots of police officers on election duty and registered their votes by proxy.
In the petition, the Opposition Leader cited that Intelligence ADGP had reported to DGP that the Police Association had collected postal ballots of officers on election duty by threat and intimidation and exercised votes by proxy.
The ADGP had also reportedly sought further inquiry and launching of prosecution proceedings against the guilty officers.
The petition also alleged that the DGP had issued a circular directing all district police chiefs and other unit heads of police departments to designate an officer in the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police or Additional Deputy Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police or Assistant Commissioners as Nodal Officer and authorizing them inter alia to collect Form 12 from the returning officer and distribute the same to the police personnel who were on election duty.
This was illegal as it was the voter on election duty who had to collect the form and send it to the returning officer.
Chennithala sought a directive to the state police chief for withdrawing the ballot papers issued to police officers on election duty, which were yet to be tendered to the returning officer or deposited in the box by exercising vote, on the ground of reported fraud and in lieu of which, to issue fresh postal ballots to those police officers on election duty in accordance with law.