Andhra speaker summoned to Telangana court for alleged violation of election laws

A TRS leader moved the court, alleging that Kodela had spent 40 times the expenditure limit set by the EC in the 2014 elections.
Andhra speaker summoned to Telangana court for alleged violation of election laws
Andhra speaker summoned to Telangana court for alleged violation of election laws
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A Telangana court in Karimnagar issued summons to Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao for a statement that he had made in a TV interview. 

The complaint was filed by TRS leader S Bhaskara Reddy, who alleged that Kodela had violated the norms of the Election Commission with his expenditure for the 2014 elections. 

Reddy quoted an interview that Kodela gave in June 2016, where the latter reportedly claimed that he had spent Rs 11.50 crore during the elections.

"He (Rao) had spent Rs 30,000 when he first fought the MLA election in 1983 and that too with donations from the villagers. But the recent election expenses touched Rs 11.50 crore...The expenditure in his (Rao's) words was 40 times more than the expenditure limit set by the Election Commission," PTI quoted Reddy as saying. 

Asking the Speaker to explain the source of the money, Reddy also alleged that Kodela used undue influence to win the election.

He also asked the court to charge and punish Kodela under sections related to 'punishment for bribery', 'undue influence', and 'false statement in connection with election' among other sections of the IPC.

After failing to get a reaction from the police, Reddy is reported to have moved the High Court, which asked the Karimnagar court to take up the case. 

The Speaker has been asked to appear before the court on April 20.  

Watch a video of the interview here

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