EC seeks documents related to 'cash-for-vote' scam

Image
Press Trust of India Hyderabad
Last Updated : Jun 25 2015 | 9:42 PM IST
The Election Commission (EC) has sought certain documents pertaining to the 'cash-for-vote' scam involving arrested TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy, a case which has triggered a war of words between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governments.
The EC, which wanted the Telangana Government to probe the scam "vigorously" and "take it to its logical end", has filed a memo in a Special ACB Court here, seeking documents filed by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which is investigating the case, so far.
"...All documents that are filed by ACB are required to be maintained in the file of the EC too. Hence, we approached the court...We have to get the documents from the court (now)...," a senior EC official told PTI today.
Earlier, Telangana's nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson had lodged a complaint with ACB alleging he was offered Rs 5 crore by Revanth to vote in favour of a Telugu Desam MLC nominee in the June 1 Telangana Legislative Council polls.
Revanth along with Bishop Harry Sebastian and R Uday Simhaon were arrested by ACB on May 31, while they were allegedly paying a bribe of Rs 50 lakh as advance to Stephenson. The trio is at present under judicial custody.
The anti-graft agency then said it had collected "clinching" evidence in the form of audio/video recordings and recovered the bribe amount.
Electronic devices, including phones containing a few audio clips, video footage relating to the case besides a CPU and a hard disk, were seized in course of investigation and submitted in the court. They were sent for forensic analysis to establish their authenticity and a report is awaited.
Meanwhile, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) here yesterday furnished the images of the originals of the audio- video recordings before the court and the ACB, filed a memo in the court seeking their possession. "It (images) are required for the purpose of investigation," a senior ACB officer said.
Meanwhile, the bail petition of Revanth and two other accused will come up for hearing tomorrow in the Hyderabad High Court.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 25 2015 | 9:42 PM IST

Next Story