Friday, December 23 2005 20:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Election department has filed cases against 13 persons, including a State Minister, for alleged attempts to 'stuff' electoral rolls with bogus names.

Those against whom the cases were filed include housing minister Anita Radhakrishnan, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLA from Tirupur Sivasamy, former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister Suresh Rajan, DMK MLA and party's Tiruvannamalai district secretary A V Velu, AIADMK Tiruvallur district secretary R S Mani, AIADMK Perambalur district secretary Ravichandran and Paramjothi and AIADMK Tiruchirapalli district secretary, election department sources told reporters here today (Dec 23, 2005).

The cases were filed after the Madras High Court on Dec 21 dismissed a petition filed by AIADMK election wing secretary and PWD minister O Paneerselvam, who had sought a direction from the court to forbear the EC from taking any legal action against its party functionaries for having forwarded bulk claims for inclusion in electoral(rolls in Tamil Nadu.

On June 8 last, the Election Commission (EC) had directed election authorities concerned to file cases against office bearers of political parties that filed bulk applications, which did not stand scrutiny under Section 31 of the Representation of People Act (RPA), 1950.

Following complaints by the DMK of large-scane inclusion of bogus voters in the electoral rolls by AIADMK, the EC had sent a team to the state to verify the allegations.

Based on the report filed by the team, the CEC on June 8 directed election authorities concerned to file cases against-those who had forwarded applications in bulk, which did not stand up to scrutiny.