Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | EC adjourns hearing against Koda in paid news case

EC adjourns hearing against Koda in paid news case

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Oct 22, 2011   modified Modified on Oct 22, 2011

-The Hindu

 

The Election Commission on Friday adjourned till November 11 the hearing on the complaint that Singhbhum MP and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda did not file his election expenditure account properly. There is also an allegation that he encouraged “paid news” during the 2009 Lok Sabha poll. Interestingly, one TV channel was paid Rs.1.25 crore to telecast news in his favour, according to an Income-Tax department report.

The full Commission — Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi and Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and H.S. Brahma — considered the letter written by Mr. Koda, now lodged in the Tihar jail in corruption cases, and adjourned the matter.

The independent MP said he could not appear before the Commission to defend himself. He was not even able to brief his lawyer on the complaint pending with the EC. He urged the Commission to direct the jail authorities to produce him before it. A senior official said the EC would examine whether it was possible to write such a letter to the Tihar authorities. “Though it is a long-pending case, the Commission wants to ensure that Mr. Koda gets an opportunity to present his version either by himself or through counsel.”

The “paid news” allegation surfaced when Enforcement Directorate and Income-Tax authorities, who raided his office and residence, found diaries containing details of the amount spent by him towards payment to newspapers and other media for writing/telecasting reports in his favour to influence voters. He allegedly paid Rs.25.76 lakh to three media organisations during April 2009.

Against the permissible expenditure limit of Rs.25 lakh for the Lok Sabha poll, Mr. Koda allegedly spent Rs.9 crore, the IT report said in October last.

Mr. Koda allegedly made a news organisation work as his agent for distributing money to other media to write/telecast reports in his favour.


The Hindu, 22 October, 2011, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2561033.ece


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close