EC sues SQ Chy for making false allegations on voter roll
Saturday, 12 June 2010
CHITTAGONG, June 10 (bdnews24.com): An Election Commission (EC) official on Thursday night sued senior BNP MP Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury for making 'false allegations' on voter roll.
Farhad Hossain, assistant returning officer for the Chittagong city polls, filed the complaint with the Kotwali police at around 11:30pm.
The bdnews correspondent was present when a police officer formally registered the criminal charge against the BNP leader.
The charge was pressed against Chowdhury under Section 18 of the Voter List Formulation Act of 2009.
Kotwali region assistant commissioner Helal Uddin said providing false information regarding the voter list is a punishable offence under the law.
He said in the event of a guilty finding, the maximum punishment is six months in prison with Tk 2,000 as fines for the offence.
The case details said the BNP MP at a meeting with journalists on Wednesday alleged that some 55,000 voters under the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) did not have photographs.
His comment was also published in newspapers on Thursday.
The statement also stated that he had hampered 'appropriate election environment' by providing such 'untrue information' ahead of the June 17 CCC polls.
The complainant mentioned that the EC office has the electoral roll with photographs of all the 16,88,676 voters under the CCC.
However, the CDs sold to the candidates did not contain photographs of the voters, the case details added.
Chowdhury, however, alleged that the case was filed only to harass him, suggesting that the situation on the ground seemed unfavourable for the government.
At 12:30am, Chowdhury told reporters that the voter list provided to the candidates did not have any photograph of the voters.
"The Election Commi-ssion could ask me for explanation. But they lodged a case instead."
Chowdhury said there were as many cases lodged against him as he had hair on his body.
"I am not afraid of cases," he declared.
Farhad Hossain, assistant returning officer for the Chittagong city polls, filed the complaint with the Kotwali police at around 11:30pm.
The bdnews correspondent was present when a police officer formally registered the criminal charge against the BNP leader.
The charge was pressed against Chowdhury under Section 18 of the Voter List Formulation Act of 2009.
Kotwali region assistant commissioner Helal Uddin said providing false information regarding the voter list is a punishable offence under the law.
He said in the event of a guilty finding, the maximum punishment is six months in prison with Tk 2,000 as fines for the offence.
The case details said the BNP MP at a meeting with journalists on Wednesday alleged that some 55,000 voters under the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) did not have photographs.
His comment was also published in newspapers on Thursday.
The statement also stated that he had hampered 'appropriate election environment' by providing such 'untrue information' ahead of the June 17 CCC polls.
The complainant mentioned that the EC office has the electoral roll with photographs of all the 16,88,676 voters under the CCC.
However, the CDs sold to the candidates did not contain photographs of the voters, the case details added.
Chowdhury, however, alleged that the case was filed only to harass him, suggesting that the situation on the ground seemed unfavourable for the government.
At 12:30am, Chowdhury told reporters that the voter list provided to the candidates did not have any photograph of the voters.
"The Election Commi-ssion could ask me for explanation. But they lodged a case instead."
Chowdhury said there were as many cases lodged against him as he had hair on his body.
"I am not afraid of cases," he declared.