CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court that police have registered FIRs in cases where complaints were received over the alleged distribution of “Rs 8,000 coupons” by DMK, and that further action is being taken against those responsible.
The submission was made by standing counsel for ECI, Niranjan Rajagopalan, before the first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, during the hearing of a petition filed by advocate RAS Senthilvel of AIADMK.
The ECI counsel told the court that showcause notices have also been issued to the party in this regard. Recording the submission, the bench closed the petition.
The petitioner alleged that Rs 8,000 coupons have been distributed by the DMK to voters in several Assembly segments, including Coimbatore South, Bargur, Palacode, Kumbakonam and Anna Nagar. DMK sources had earlier said that these were only lookalike tokens meant to show how the party’s key poll promise under the “Illatharasi Scheme”, would be implemented if the party is voted to power.
However, the petitioner had said that the coupons carried specific serial numbers and, in some cases, were issued in the names of individual voters, along with annexures seeking details and preferences for appliances such as televisions and washing machines.
He said the act of distributing the physical coupons even before the conduct of elections transforms such promises into immediate and tangible inducements. He noted that the act amounts to a corrupt practice under Section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.