Jubilee Hills bypoll: Case filed for fake posts on electoral rolls

Hyderabad, Oct 17 (IANS) Police have registered a case on a complaint by election authorities in Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in Telangana about fake social media posts claiming that film actresses were added to the voter list with morphed images and fake EPIC numbers ahead of the November 11 by-election.

Madhura Nagar Police registered the case on a complaint by Assistant Electoral Registration Officer Syed Yahiya Kamal about fake posts circulated on social media, alleging the actresses were added to voter rolls with morphed photos, modified addresses, and fake EPIC numbers.

The police registered the case under sections 336(4), 353(1)(C) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) - Jubilee Hills has urged citizens not to believe or share unverified social media content regarding the morphing of voter lists.

It has come to the notice of the Election Authority that false posts are being circulated alleging that film actresses’ names appear in the voter rolls with morphed photos, modified addresses, and fake EPIC numbers, said Hyderabad District Election Officer R. V. Karnan.

He said strict legal action will be initiated against anyone creating or forwarding fake or misleading content that may affect the election process. Citizens are advised to verify information only through official sources, he said.

The election authorities had earlier ordered an inquiry into the social media posts. These posts showed images of voter slips with pictures of Tollywood actresses Rakul Preet Singh, Samantha and Tamannaah as voters of the Jubilee Hills constituency. The voter slips carried fake EPIC numbers and addresses.

As this was seen as an attempt to harm the reputation of the Election Commission, the authorities took a serious note and, after a preliminary inquiry, lodged a complaint with the police.

In a related development on Thursday, the Telangana High Court dismissed a petition filed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over alleged irregularities in the voter list in Jubilee Hills constituency.

The High Court took note of the fact that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had already initiated an inquiry into the complaints.

A division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin observed that voter registration and deletion are a continuous process. It said that the ECI has time till October 21 to act on the complaints.

The court made it clear that any interference in the electoral process after the announcement of the poll schedule leads to a delay in conducting elections.

--IANS

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