HYDERABAD: The Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana issued instructions to prohibit transmission of unauthorised bulk SMSs during the period of 48 hours ending with the hours fixed for conclusion of Assembly polls, ie, from 6 pm on December 5 to 6 pm of December 7.
Any violation will be taken seriously and appropriate action will be taken under relevant provisions of Election Laws.
The CEO on Saturday informed all the District Election Officers of Telangana State, GHMC Commissioner, Director General of Police, Telangana, Hyderabad Police Commissioner, Superintendents of Police, Returning Officers of Telangana State that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had issued instructions regarding prohibition on misuse of Short Message Services (SMSs) for campaign during general elections.
The said officials should bring these instructions to the notice of all the mobile service providers in the State to ensure that they strictly adhere to the ECI instructions while extending the SMS services to the customers; to have a check on the misuse of SMS services for campaign, political adversaries and to furnish the account expenditure of all authorised SMSs to CEO office during the period of 48 hours as it is an offence under Section 126 of Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The DEOs and the said officials have been further directed to bring these instructions to the notice of the Commission’s Observers and also to the Assistant Returning Officers, Model Code of Conduct (MCC) teams, all political parties, contesting candidates and their agents in order to enable them to comply with the instructions of the ECI on transmission of bulk SMSes.