10 months ago
CCTV Footage from Ex-MLA's Home Linked to Aland Voter List Case
Imagine people were trying to secretly remove many names from the list of people allowed to vote in a town called Aland.
This happened before an election.
Now, special police called an SIT are looking into it.
They got a video from the house of a former local politician, who used to be an MLA.
The video seems to show his friends burning papers.
The police think these papers might have been the voter lists they wanted to change.
The former politician says he was just burning regular trash, like people do for a festival.
He and his son and a friend are trying to get bail because they are worried about being arrested.
The court is waiting to see more evidence.
A Karnataka SIT has collected CCTV footage from the home of ex-BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar as part of an investigation into voter list manipulation in Aland.
The footage allegedly shows Guttedar's associates attempting to destroy documents, which the SIT claims are voter lists.
The SIT cited this evidence while opposing anticipatory bail for Guttedar, his son, and an associate.
The case involves an alleged attempt to illegally delete 5,994 voter names from the Aland constituency's electoral roll.
Guttedar denies the allegations, stating the burnt documents were merely trash and calls the case politically motivated.
- Who
- A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka Police, former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar, his son Harsha Guttedar, and associate Tipperudra
- What
- Investigation into an alleged attempt to illegally delete nearly 6,000 voter names from the Aland electoral list, involving collection of CCTV footage from the former MLA's residence.
- Where
- Aland constituency in Kalaburagi district, Karnataka
- When
- The alleged attempt to delete names occurred ahead of the May 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls. The FIR was registered on February 21, 2023. The SIT was constituted on September 26, 2023, and collected CCTV footage in October 2023.
- Why
- The SIT is investigating allegations of a plot to illegally remove voters from the electoral rolls, which was brought to light by local Congress workers and subsequently investigated by EC officials.
SIT/Government
Guttedar and Associates
Evidence of Document Destruction
SIT/Government
CCTV footage from Guttedar's residence shows his associates burning documents that the SIT alleges are Aland voter lists.
Guttedar and Associates
Guttedar claims the burnt documents were just regular trash being cleared for Deepavali, not voter lists.
Motive and Political Motivation
SIT/Government
The case is a legitimate investigation into electoral fraud, initiated by EC officials after a preliminary inquiry into a Congress candidate's complaint.
Guttedar and Associates
The case is politically motivated, citing that the original complaint was made by the Congress Aland candidate who defeated Guttedar in the 2023 polls, and the FIR did not initially name them.
Legality of Searches
SIT/Government
Searches were conducted on properties linked to Guttedar and his associates as part of the investigation.
Guttedar and Associates
Guttedar contests the searches, stating that SIT only had warrants for properties in Kalaburagi, not his Aland house.
Key facts
- Case
- Alleged illegal deletion of voter names in Aland
- Number of Names Targeted
- 5,994 (initially reported as 6,018)
- Investigation Body
- Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka Police
- Key Evidence Cited
- CCTV footage allegedly showing document destruction at ex-MLA's residence
- FIR Date
- February 21, 2023
- Original Complaint
- Election Commission officials
Quotes
Prosecutor
Government prosecutor representing the state in the Aland voter deletion case.
“The DVR from the residence of the petitioner has been recovered and sent for forensic analysis. A mirror image of the DVR which has been retrieved under due process has revealed the burning of materials.”
indianexpress.com
“The SIT is expecting a response from the EC at the earliest.”
indianexpress.com
Subhash Guttedar
Former BJP MLA from Aland, Kalaburagi district, who is under investigation for alleged voter list irregularities.
“They did not get anything… They alleged that we burnt documents. In everybody’s house there is a cleaning process for Deepavali and the same has happened at my house. It is trash that was burnt.”
indianexpress.com
