Poll body deploying BLOs who ‘can’t read or write’, says Aaditya
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday said some booth-level officers (BLOs), who are "unable to read or write", were tasked with gathering information about voters in Mumbai, and alleged multiple entries of voters in the draft list.
Addressing a press conference, the former minister said that his party had filed 3,000 to 4,000 objections in each of the 227 civic wards of Mumbai.
He said that Sena (UBT) office-bearers and frontal organisations have been scanning the draft voters' lists, looking for irregularities.
Thackeray claimed that the draft voters' lists had 14 lakh voters, with multiple entries, most of whom are "Marathi, political workers and public representatives of the Opposition parties".
He further accused the state election commission of sending BLOs who cannot read or write to gather and verify information about voters.
"Those who cannot read or write are visiting people's homes as BLOs. You (poll body) are sending people who do not even know how to write or read," he said.
Demanding the suspension of officials heading poll bodies, Thackeray said the Election Commission has turned into a circus.
He cited instances of voters with multiple entries, claiming Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde's name figured seven times in the draft list with different ages, addresses and photos, while former Mumbai mayor Shraddha Jadhav's name came up eight times in the voters' list.
The names of Congress MLA Jyoti Gaikwad and Mumbai South Central MP Anil Desai also figured multiple times in the draft list, he said.
Thackeray also alleged that every poll booth has names of deceased voters, and this is despite their families submitting their death certificates.
Polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the richest civic body in the country, are slated to be held early next month.
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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
