Candidates from Sanaur, Malerkotla proclaimed offenders, booked for concealing info

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 11

Two candidates have been booked for concealing information about being proclaimed offenders (POs) while filing nomination papers for the Assembly elections.

Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju said a case had been registered against candidate Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, alias Harmeet Singh Dhillon, from the Sanaur constituency under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act and Sections 193 and 199 of the IPC at Julkan police station.

He said the case was registered after receiving a complaint that Harmeet was declared a PO in 2019 by a Barnala court under Section 174 of the IPC. He, however, furnished false information in form 26A (affidavit) while filing the nomination. He said the District Election Officer and SSP during investigation found the complaint true and an FIR was registered.

Similarly, Mohammad Shakeel, an Independent candidate from Malerkotla, had been booked under the same sections at the PS City-1 Malerkotla. Shakeel had also been arrested.

During a probe by a poll official, it was found Shakeel, declared a PO in 2019, did not disclose the information in his papers. He said under Section 125A, a violator could get imprisonment up to three months or penalty or both. Also, Sections 193 and 199 provided for three to seven years of imprisonment along with penalty.

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