Punjab polls: Two candidates booked for concealing their proclaimed offender status

Chandigarh: Two candidates have been booked for concealing information about being proclaimed offenders while filing nomination papers for the February 20 Punjab assembly elections.

Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju said an FIR has been registered against candidate Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra alias Harmeet Singh Dhillon from the Sanaur assembly constituency in Patiala district.

Pathanmajra is a candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party.

A case under relevant sections of the Representation of People Act and the IPC has been registered at Julkan Police Station at Sanaur, he said.

Raju said the case was registered after receiving a complaint that Pathanmajra was declared a proclaimed offender in 2019 by a Barnala court.

He, however, furnished false information in his affidavit while filing the nomination, the poll official added.

He said the District Election Officer and the Senior Superintendent of Police during separate investigations found the complaint true and an FIR was registered.

The CEO said similarly Mohammad Shakeel, who had filed nomination papers as an Independent candidate from Malerkotla constituency, has been booked under the IPC and the Representation of People Act, at Malerkotla.

Shakeel has also been arrested in this case.

During a probe, it has been found that Shakeel did not disclose his proclaimed offender status.

Raju said Shakeel was declared proclaimed an offender in 2019.