Jharkhand CM acquitted in poll code violation case

According to an FIR, Das had opened a party camp office beside a temple without prior permission from the East Singhbhum district administration in violation of the election code of conduct

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das and three others were today acquitted by a local court in Jharkhand in connection with a case related to violation of poll code of conduct in 2009.

G K Tiwari, Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, acquitted them for lack of evidence soon after Das, along with Chandrasekhar Mishra, ex-president of Jamshedpur Mahanagar Committee of BJP, appeared before it here this morning.

The court had recorded Das's statement under section 313 Crpc on June 1, Das's lawyers Nand Kishore Mishra and Bhavesh Kumar said.

Another accused Balakram Bhat had died during course of the trial.

According to an FIR lodged under Sitaramdera police station on the statement of then District Rationing Officer, Raman Kumar, it was stated that Das, then a BJP sitting MLA and also a BJP candidate from Jamshedpur East Assembly segment for 2009 Assembly polls, had opened a party camp office beside a temple without prior permission from the East Singhbhum district administration in violation of the election code of conduct.

A case had been registered against Das and others under section 3(1) of Bihar Defacement of Property Act.