Conviction rate in election-related offences high in Karnataka, says top EC official
Bengaluru (PTI): The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka Manoj Kumar Meena has said that there were over 50 per cent convictions in the cases related to the model code of conduct (MCC) violations in the state.
He said the Election Commission (EC) closely follows the MCC violation cases, which made this happen.
"Karnataka is one the states where the highest convictions have happened. Last time, 2,000-odd cases were booked. All were charge-sheeted, all were tried and I think more than 50 per cent conviction we have done in Karnataka," Meena told PTI in an interview.
According to an EC official, these convictions pertain to the elections that have taken place from 2013 to 2019.
Explaining further, Meena said, "Decisions have happened in all the cases but in more than 50 per cent cases, the convictions were in our favour. It is a big number. I don't know about other states but it is very rare that in election-related cases convictions are happening."
Stating that Karnataka has done better, compared to other states, the CEO said the EC and his office follow the cases very closely.
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Giving details about the high conviction rate, Meena said the cases are booked meticulously, and people are imparted training on their handling.
"We train our people. The static squad teams and the flying squad teams have got magisterial powers. They have power to search and seize. We have told them how to search and how to seize, how to book a case, how to present before the court and how to take court's permission," the CEO said.
Noting that huge cash, precious metals and freebies have been seized in the state "like never before" during the ongoing Karnataka Assembly election process, Meena said the exercise started well in advance, almost four months prior to the election dates being announced, in the form of coordination with various agencies.
According to him, a Standard Operating Procedure was finalised due to which the infrastructure was already in place when the elections were declared.
The officers on election duty started the vigilance activities almost immediately after the commission's visit to the state, the CEO said.
Since, everything was in place, the official machinery was able to do it in a more professional way and caught a huge amount of cash, gold, liquor and freebies.
"We are vigilant. Next 14 days will be very crucial for us. We are checking at our borders 100 per cent but we are keeping a watch on the internal movement. We are gathering intelligence at the local level also," Meena said.
He also said the commission is seeking and getting public support through its mobile application 'cVIGIL' where anyone can take a picture or share any information about any election-related malpractice.
According to the data shared by Meena's office, as on Thursday, seizures totalled Rs 292.06 crore since the model code of conduct came into effect on March 29, including Rs 102.9 crore cash, liquor worth Rs 68.69 crore and 149.31 kg gold worth Rs 76 crore.
Speaking about hate speech, Meena said the commission is watching any such development closely and has booked five such cases.
"We are watching television, social media and even the newspapers also. We have a dedicated team at each level at district as well as our level," the CEO explained.
"We have a dedicated control room for watching the media 24x7. It is not so that after 9 pm we will not watch. We will watch full and give alerts. It is done at the level of the ECI (Election Commission of India) also," he added.
On the issue of tackling urban apathy during voting, he said various measures have been taken such as identifying the pockets where the voting percentage is low, holding meetings with the residents there and creating awareness among them.
The Commission also relaunched 'Chunavana' mobile application, which will give details about the name, polling station, how to reach there and how many people are standing in the queue, Meena said.
"Every 15 minutes, the data will be updated in Chunavana app. So if you know your booth, if you enter your booth number and Assembly constituency in the application, it will tell you how many people are standing in the queue," he explained.
Due to the initiatives to encourage people to exercise their franchise, almost 16 lakh new voters have been added after January 5, it was stated.
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Immigration Bill: Seven-year jail term for using forged passport
New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI): Anyone found using a forged passport or visa for entering, staying or exiting India will be punished with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine to the extent of Rs 10 lakh if the new immigration bill is approved by Parliament.
The legislation, piloted by the Union Home Ministry, also provides for mandatory reporting of information about foreigners by hotels, universities, other educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes to enable tracking of overstaying foreigners.
All international airlines and ships will also be required to submit at a port or place in India the passenger and crew manifest, the advance information of passengers and crew on board of such aircraft, vessel or other mode of transport.
"Whoever knowingly uses or supplies a forged or fraudulently obtained passport or other travel document or visa for entering into India or staying in or exiting from India, shall be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than two years, but may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees, but may extend to ten lakh rupees," according to the bill introduced in Lok Sabha on March 11.
It also says that any foreigner who enters into any area in India without a valid passport or other travel document, including visa required for such entry in contravention of provisions of the law or of any rule or order given in pursuance thereof, shall be punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years with a fine which may extend to five lakh rupees or with both.
The legislation empowers the Centre to exert control over places that are "frequented by any foreigner" and require the owner to close the premises, permit its use under specified conditions, or refuse admission to all or a "specified class" of foreigners.
The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 is a comprehensive legislation to regulate all matters relating to foreigners and immigration.
Matters relating to foreigners and immigration are presently administered through four Acts-the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000. All these laws are now proposed to be repealed.
While the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 consists of several existing provisions in the four Acts proposed to be repealed after simplification and harmonisation, it also has certain new provisions to meet the present-day requirements.
This legislation is in line with the government's policy of simplification of laws, ease of doing business and minimising compliance burden.
It seeks to balance the requirements of national security and related issues of immigration of foreigners with the need to promote economic growth and tourism in the country.
However, it is not connected with any matters related with grant of citizenship.
"The Bill will help in tackling the problem of illegal migration into India and facilitate tracking of movement of overstaying foreigners within India.It will also help in reducing the compliance burden," an officer said.
While Indian visas of all categories to foreigners can be granted in physical or sticker form by Indian missions or posts located abroad, the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) grants electronic visas under seven categories to people from 167 countries.
Besides, visa-on-arrival is granted by immigration authorities at six designated airports to nationals of three countries -- Japan, South Korea and the UAE (only for such UAE nationals who had earlier obtained e-visa or regular or paper visa for India).
The stay and movement of foreigners in India and their exit are regulated by the BoI and state governments and Union Territory administrations.
According to existing laws, all foreigners on long-term (more than 180 days) student, medical, research, employment, missionary and project visas are required to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) or the Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned, having jurisdiction over the place where the foreigner intends to stay, within 14 days of arrival.
Pakistani nationals are required to register within 24 hours of their arrival.
Other laws that cover foreigners in India include the Citizenship Act, 1955, which regulates acquisition and termination of Indian citizenship as well as acquisition and registration of foreigners as Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).
Apart from movement, stay and visa, there are certain protected areas in India where foreigners need special permits to travel, including multiple states in the northeastern region, the whole of Andaman and Nicobar, and parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
According to Union Home Ministry data, 98.40 lakh foreigners visited India between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
