Court orders FIR against Haryana minister, officials

A court in this Haryana city Wednesday ordered local police to lodge an FIR against state Sports Minister and Gurgaon lagislator Sukhbir Kataria and five others in connection with a case of bogus votes.

The bogus votes were cast during assembly elections 2009 -- among the accused is a senior police officer.

The court passed the orders under Section 156 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

After hearing a petition filed by Om Prakash Kataria of Gurgaon-based Matdata Jagrookta Manch, a non-governmental organisation, the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Pracheta Singh ordered the SHO of Gurgaon City Police Station to lodge an FIR against the minister, Gurgaon Assistant Commissioner of Police Narender Kadian, an Assistant Electoral Returning Officer, Booth-Level Officer Anita Sharma, one Pawan Dabas and Sudesh Dabas, and investigate the matter.

Alleging that forged documents had been used to get voter cards made at the behest of the minister, the petitioner had requested the registration of a criminal case against Kataria and others under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using forged document), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and Representation of People's Act, 1950.

The court has also directed the police to get handwriting samples of the minister forensically examined.