Thrissur: A Thrissur Judicial First Class Magistrate Court has issued notice to a Booth-Level Officer (BLO) on Monday in connection with allegations of illegal voter enrolment involving Union Minister Suresh Gopi.
The action follows a complaint filed by senior Congress leader and former MP T.N. Prathapan, alleging criminal conspiracy in the addition of votes during the last Lok Sabha elections.
Gopi won a stunning win, paving the way for the lotus to bloom in Kerala for the first time in a Lok Sabha poll.
The court directed the concerned BLO to appear in person on January 20, after finding prima facie grounds to seek clarification from election officials involved in the process.
The complaint alleges that Suresh Gopi, his brother Subhash Gopi, and other family members were illegally enrolled as voters at the Mukkatukara polling booth in the Thrissur Assembly constituency, despite allegedly not fulfilling the eligibility criteria for that location.
According to the petition, the voter enrolments were carried out using fabricated documents, amounting to a criminal conspiracy allegedly executed in collusion with the Booth-Level Officer.
Prathapan contended that the alleged irregularities undermined the integrity of the electoral process and warranted judicial scrutiny.
While examining the plea, the court observed that Suresh Gopi was not a public servant at the time of the alleged offence, as the incident pertained to the period before he assumed office as a Union Minister.
On this ground, the court noted that statutory notice under provisions applicable to public servants was not required in his case.
Consequently, the court chose to proceed by issuing notice to the BLO, who was directly responsible for the verification and processing of voter enrolment at the booth level.
The notice instructs the officer to appear before the court on January 20 and respond to the allegations.
The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of electoral rolls and voter data integrity, especially in the context of ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercises across Kerala.
(IANS)
