Punish Congress for fabricating voter list: Election body to top court

NEW DELHI: The Congress fabricated voters' lists in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to falsely claim duplication of names, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court today, asking that the party be punished for "misleading" the court.

Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot had alleged duplication of names in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and had approached the Supreme Court, which had directed the Election Commission to respond to the charge.

"Congress petitioners must be punished for fabricating the voters list," the election body told the top court. The Congress rebutted the allegation and said what it had submitted to the Supreme Court was "whatever was available in the public domain", and the same list, it claimed, was carried by the electronic media. The party also told the court that the same voters list, which



the Election Commission says is faked, was given to the Chief Election Commissioner in CDs.

As the election panel denied it, the Supreme Court asked it to check.

The Supreme Court will again take up the case on Monday.

The Election Commission had argued that the lists submitted by the Congress had photos and names that were fudged.

Last month, Congress spokesperson and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kamal Nath and Sachin Pilot in court, said Mr Nath had carried out his own survey in Madhya Pradesh and had found over 60 lakh duplicate names.

The Congress had asked for random verification of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips, which record the choice of the voter, in at least 10 per cent polling stations in every constituency.