Date: 
22.03.2012
Government on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that Election Commission has suggested to it to make bribing of voters, in cash or kind, a cognizable offence.

"The Election Commission of India has suggested for amendment in the First Schedule to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to make the offence of bribery under Section 171B/171E of IPC a cognisable offence," the minister of state for home Mullappally Ramachandran said.

He, in his written response, said as the Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure are in the List III of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution and are administered by the state governments, the comments/ views of the state governments and Union Territory administrations have been sought on the proposal.

Government on Wednesday informed that Himachal Pradesh was the only state so far which had opposed the proposal to make bribery in private sector a criminal offence by amending the Indian Penal Code even as six states have yet to send their comments on the issue.

Minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy said comments of the 22 state governments and six Union Territories have been received as on March 16, 2012 on the proposal to make private sector bribery an offence. Comments from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Union Territory of Puducherry have not been received by March 16.

All states except Himachal Pradesh have supported the proposal, the minister said adding "the state government has conveyed its disagreement with the proposed amendment to IPC."

He said the Jammu and Kashmir government had conveyed that "proposed amendment will be a step forward in enlarging the ambit of the Penal Code to cover the private sector as well. In fact, the state government is considering amendment on similar lines in the Ranbir Penal Code applicable to the state of Jammu and Kashmir."

Other states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu while agreeing with the proposal have suggested measures to make the amendment even more stringent and bring clarity on some issues, the minister said. 

 
City: 
New Delhi
Source url: 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Make-bribery-of-voters-cognizable-offence-EC/articleshow/12361697.cms
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Author: 
TNN
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