Cash for Vote Scam: CEC steps in

In a significant development, the Central Election Commission has stepped in into the Cash for Votes case. The counsel of the CEC has filed a memo in the ACB court asking for the copies of the 14 audio and video tapes.

The tapes have already been sent by the court to the Forensic Science Laboratory for verifying their authenticity. The preliminary report has already arrived and the court is currently examining the report.

The court told the CEC counsel that copies would be given to them after the FSL sends them back after investigation and copies are made from the original.

In another development, state election commissioner Bhanwarlal said cases could be booked after the ACB court gives its verdict. He said a reminder memo has been submitted on June 1 requesting the Telangana government to expedite the probe and take it to a logical conclusion.

He also said that the cash for vote could be treated as a criminal case and the ACB could probe the issue. He said the commission would take action only after the verdict. “In view of the growing incidents of money and muscle power in the elections, this could become a case study for future,” opined Bhanwarlal.