State: Fresh Trouble For Ashok Chavan
Congress leader and former chief minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan has been found guilty by the Election Commission for failing to lodge his election expenses as per law in a paid-news case, and has been asked why he cannot be disqualified.
Under the directions of the Supreme Court, the EC, had issued a show- cause notice to Chavan in May last year to appear before it in connection with the case of alleged expenses made by him on advertisements in Marathi Dailies during 2009 state assembly which were categorised as “paid news”.
It has been alleged that Chavan spent a lot of money during the state polls and did not submit the expenses to the returning officer in the manner required by the Representation of the People Act and rules.
| Maharashtra |
Mounting fresh trouble, the EC on July13, 2014 issued a show -cause notice to Chavan and asked him why he should not be disqualified.
If Chavan is disqualified as a legislator, then he will be disqualified even if he wins the Lok Sabha elections. According to section 77 & 78 of the representation of the peoples act, it is mandatory for all the candidates to provide the details of their account of expenses in the election campaign. Disqualification of the candidate can be made according to section 10-A if he provide wrong information.
The complainants, namely, Madhavrao Kinhalkar alongwith BJP vice-president Kirit Somaiya and four others, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP MP had alleged in their complaint to EC that Chavan got several advertisements published in various regional newspapers during the poll campaign.”
Meanwhile, Chavhan has appeal in the SC challenging the power of EC to probe allegations of paid new made against him.
—Prasad S Joshi, Maharashtra
