K K RAMESH Vs. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner, as party-in-person, has filed this "Public Interest Litigation", praying for appropriate direction or any suggestion or observation or particularly, in the nature of writ, directing the third respondent, namely, the Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, New Delhi - 110 001, to issue a notification for provision of imposition of life imprisonment to a candidate who pays cash for securing the votes in any future elections and so also, to the voters who cast their votes on receipt of consideration and further that, they should not cast their votes and that the Voter Identity Cards should also be seized and in the event of election being postponed on account of the said corrupt practice, the money spent by the Government for conducting the said elections is to be recovered from the concerned candidate, who pays cash for votes. The petitioner would further add that the said prayers had been made in his representation dated 12.12.2017 and it is to be considered and appropriate directions are to be issued to direct the third respondent to do the said exercise.

(2.) The petitioner, in the affidavit filed in support of this writ petition, would aver, among other things, that he is in the habit of taking very many public causes and in order to eke out his livelihood, he is running a small scale industry which manufactures fountain pen ink and getting a meagre income of Rs.6,000/- (Rupees Six Thousand only) and his Permanent Account Number is AXLPR5849J.

(3.) The petitioner would further aver that there are newspaper reports in all leading news dailies and in television channels as to the payment of cash for obtaining votes in General Elections, Bye-Elections, Lok Sabha Elections and State Assembly Elections and would further add that in the Bye- Elections held to select a Member of Legislative Assembly in respect of Thirumangalam Assembly Constituency, Madurai District, a major political party paid a sum of Rs.5,000/- (Rupees Five Thousand only) to the voters for the purpose of securing their votes and similar thing had happened in the Parliamentary Election held in 2009 also and so also, in the year 2014.