Why in news
The EC has asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to verify any mismatch in the information provided in the affidavit filed by Union Minister and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar while filing his nomination from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
The move follows a complaint by the Congress, which had alleged a mismatch in the affidavit details submitted by Mr. Chandrasekhar, who filed his nomination on Thursday.
As per the information filed, the Minister’s taxable income sharply declined from ₹10.83 crore in the financial year 2018-19 to nearly ₹5.59 lakh in 2022-23.
Over the last five financial years, he declared incomes of ₹10.8 crore in 2018-19, ₹4.48 crore in 2019-20, ₹17.51 lakh in 2020-21, ₹680 in 2021-22, and ₹5.59 lakh in 2022-23.
Section 125 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951
Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 deals with the penalty for filing false information in nomination papers and affidavits.
Title: Penalty for filing false affidavit, etc.
Applicability: This section applies to candidates contesting any election.
Offense: A candidate commits an offense if they themselves or through their proposer (the person who nominates them), with the intention of getting elected:
Fail to furnish information: This refers to not providing mandatory details required under sub-section (1) of section 33A of the Act.
Section 33A likely deals with information disclosure by candidates.
Provide false information: This includes knowingly submitting information that is untrue or having reason to believe it's false.
Conceal information: This means hiding any relevant information from the nomination papers or affidavit.
COMMENTS