New Delhi, May 11 (Agencies): The Congress today petitioned the Election Commission demanding that BJP candidate B Sriramulu be disqualified from contesting the Karnataka assembly elections over a video allegedly showing him trying to a bribe a former chief justice of India's relative.
"We have requested the Election Commission to disqualify B Sriramulu from contesting the election," senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told reporters after meeting the poll panel.
Yesterday, the Congress released two videos, dating back to 2010, allegedly showing BJP leaders B Sriramulu and G Janardhana Reddy negotiating a bribe to a relative of a former chief justice of India to influence a verdict in a mining case.
The videos also appeared on a local channel in Karnataka.
Later, state electoral authorities directed channels not to air the videos.
The memorandum by the Congress to the EC states, "This clear cut evidence relates to grave corrupt practices including attempting to bribe a Supreme Court judge. It goes without saying that even on a cursory viewing of this incriminating evidence, a clear-cut case for the cancellation of the candidature of B Sriramulu is made out for both the seats being contested by him in the upcoming Karnataka Elections.
"In a forty-minute video that has been made public and broadcast widely in the regional Kannada media on the evening of May 10, 2018, it is clearly seen that the candidate B Sriramulu and been other individuals (identified as G Janardhan Reddy, Captain Reddy and Swamiji) are seen sitting with the son-in-law of a former Chief Justice of India. The discussions between them, as seen in the video and reported by the media, relate to the payment of money to the son-in-law to secure a favourable judgment of the Supreme Court for the Reddy brothers.Upon viewing the video, there can be no doubt as to the agenda of the meeting taking place," the memorandum states.
Expressing displeasure at EC's move to ban channels from airing the video, the Congress said, "Surprisingly, ECl/CEO Karnataka has proceeded to grant an injunction banning the Kannada Television Channels from playing the tapes instead of taking action against B Sriramulu. Needless to add that this order is neither in the letter and in the spirit of the Constitutional powers now is it warranted by facts and precedence brought out above."
The Congress urged the EC "To take all such actions as may be necessary and required in law and direct immediate barring/disqualification of B Sriramulu from contesting Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018, and to take all such actions as may be necessary and required in law including direction for registration of offences against B Sriramulu, for violation of provisions of the Indian Penal Code, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988; and to direct CEO Karnataka, to lift any injunction on the Kannada television channels or other media from showing and playing the tapes."