ENS

Bangalore, May 28: Three contestants declared elected in the Assembly elections on Sunday are in for disappointment: they have been charged with furnishing false information about their assets to the Lokayukta.

“Chargesheets will be filed against these three and also a former MLA, Umapathi, in the magistrate courts of the districts concerned within a day or two under Section 177 of Indian Penal Code, according to which a person found guilty of furnishing false information to a public servant is liable for punishment of simple imprisonment of six months,” Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde told this website's News Paper.

C P Yogeshwar and Santosh Lad are Congress candidates who won from Channapatna and Kalghatgi respectively. Chirantimutt, a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, was elected from Bagalkot. Action against the three will be initiated in accordance with section 22 of the Lokayukta Act, which makes it mandatory for all legislators to file their asset statements with the Lokayukta every year.

The Lokayukta had conducted an inquiry into their assets after receiving complaints from the public. An internal inquiry confirmed that they had indeed provided false information about their assets for the year 2006-07. The Lokayukta will now move the court for penal action, after an opportunity is presented to the accused to defend themselves.

It is double trouble for Yogeshwar, as the complainant, Ravindra Beleyur, has also filed a similar complaint with the Election Commission demanding his disqualification.

Speaking tothis website's News Paper Ravindra said, “The Returning Officer of Channapatna has issued a notice to me to present all the documents in support of my complaint by May 29.” Ravindra is confident that he will succeed in convincing the Election Commission to initiate further action against Yogeshwar.