The Election Commission on Tuesday submitted before the Madras High Court that it has received information that money was being distributed in police jeep in poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
The EC had filed a counter-affidavit yesterday seeking to vacate the interim order passed last week.
The court had directed the EC not to conduct any search and seizure without the concerned authority arriving at the ‘subjective satisfaction regarding the nature and source of information.’
When the matter came up before the bench comprising Chief Justice M. Y. Eqbal and Justice T. S. Sivagnanam, senior counsel for the EC, G. Rajagopalan said: "The information received from Departments of Central Government is very shocking. Even money is being distributed in police jeep."
"We have listed where the money was drawn and taken and in which house money was kept. We have seized 1/10th of the material of what we got information. Whatever information we have received up to March 27 we are submitting in the report. We have not mentioned the names of the officials (who collected details) as they should not be targeted," the counsel said.
"The money distribution (to voters) was done with meticulous planning. We are not able to deal with (a case of) such magnitude and are trying to deal with it. So far 2900 cases have been registered. We are going to take action against the police officers who distributed money. These cannot be anonymous information. Some names (of police officials) are really shocking," he said.
After hearing submission by the counsel on a batch of writ petitions filed by Tamil Nadu Minister K. P. P. Samy and others, the bench reserved its order on the petitions.
Samy, a DMK candidate for the polls, had filed a petition seeking a direction to EC and its officials to pay Rs5 crore by way of damages for ‘loss of reputation’ in view of ‘unfounded and unauthorised search’ at his house.