EC bribery case: Court takes cognisance of charge sheet

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry issued production warrant for accused middleman Sukesh Chandrashekhar and directed the jail authorities to produce him before the court on August 18, the next date of hearing.

He was not brought to the court today as he has been taken to another court outside Delhi for a pending case there.

Chandrashekhar, arrested by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police on April 16 and presently under judicial custody, was charge sheeted on July 14.

"I take cognisance of the charge sheet for alleged offences against accused Chandrashekhar," the judge said.

The police, in its over 700-page charge sheet, has alleged that Dinakaran and Chandrashekhar had conspired to bribe the Election Commission (EC) officials to get the 'two leaves' symbol for their faction.

The police has told the court that a supplementary final report would be filed later against other accused Dinakaran, his close aide TP Mallikarjuna, suspected hawala operators Nathu Singh and Lalit Kumar -- who are out on bail, after completing the probe against them.

It has claimed that money recovered from alleged Chandrashekhar was sent by Dinakaran through unaccounted channels with the help of other accused persons.

Chandrashekhar was charge sheeted for alleged offences under the IPC including forgery of valuable security, forgery for purpose of cheating, using forged document as genuine and possessing a forged document, intending to use it as genuine, personating a public servant and criminal conspiracy.

He was also charged with alleged offence of taking gratification by illegal means to influence public servant under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The charge sheet named 36 witnesses to support the case.

If convicted, the offences carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The police have said forensic science laboratory results about the CD of conversation of Chandrashekhar and Dinakaran and the contents of seized mobile phones, were awaited.

It has said that the probe about the alleged involvement of ECI officials, the recovered cars and the source and route of illegal channels of financial transactions was still going on.

Chandrashekhar was arrested for allegedly taking money from Dinakaran to bribe ECI officials to get the AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol for the Sasikala faction.

According to the police, they had allegedly recovered cash worth Rs 1.3 crore from him at the time of the raid at a hotel in Chanakyapuri area of South Delhi.

Dinakaran was arrested here on April 25 for allegedly attempting to bribe ECI officials for the symbol. Mallikarjuna was also arrested the same day for allegedly facilitating a Rs 50 crore deal between Dinakaran and Chandrashekhar.

Dinakaran faction had hoped to obtain the symbol for the by poll to the RK Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu which was later cancelled by ECI after the alleged irregularities surfaced.

The by poll was necessitated by the death of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who represented the constituency.

The ECI had frozen the AIADMK's symbol after the two factions of the party -- one led by Dinakaran's aunt Sasikala and the other by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam staked a claim to it.