FIR LODGED, BUZZ ON WHAT’S NEXT

DM Rampur Gauri Shankar Priyadarshi said FIR against Azam was being lodged and appropriate action will follow. DM Bijnor Bhupendra S Chaudhary said FIR against Shah has already been lodged and investigations are in progress. >>

The election commission directive to initiate criminal proceedings against UP minister Azam Khan and senior BJP leader Amit Shah has caused a flutter in the state’s administrative circles.

“Will it mean the arrest of two leaders or they will be let off after furnishing bonds?” is the obvious question doing rounds in the political and administrative circles.

“We are lodging the FIR (in Azam Khan’s case), as per the directives of the commission and appropriate action will follow,” said district magistrate Rampur Gauri Shankar Priyadarshi. “An FIR has been already lodged (in Amit Shah’s case) and investigations are in progress,” said district mag- istrate Bijnor Bhupendra S Chaudhary.

“The measure restricting the two politicians will also put a check on the hate speeches’ during elections as the commission has asked the district officials to take preventive measures against the two leaders under the provisions of sections 107 to 110 and 144 of the CrPC,” said another officer, adding, “action will therefore be taken to bound down the two leaders.”

“The cases are also being registered against them under the provisions of sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505(2) of the Indian Penal code,” he said.

“While IPC sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505(2) are nonbailable, the police have powers to release the accused after they furnish the bail bonds,” said a legal expert.

After going through the speeches of the two leaders, the commission in its orders has observed: “Such speeches are not only violative of the provisions of model code of conduct, but also constitute serious offences under various provisions of law, like, section 125 (and also section 123(3) and 123(3A) of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505(2) of the IPC, apart from the relevant provisions of the state laws.

Significantly, the commission has also taken strong exception to what it called the “soft pedaling” of the state machinery in dealing with the issue.

“It has been observed by the commission that the state authorities concerned have not acted with the required alacrity and even FIRs have not been filed against the two,” said the EC directive.