Hyderabad: A local court on Saturday sentenced Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP from Mahabubabad in Telangana, Kavitha Maloth, to six months imprisonment on charges of bribing voters during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The court for trial of cases related to MPs/MLAs here also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on her.
This is the first time that a sitting Lok Sabha MP has been convicted of bribing voters ahead of a general election.
The case, which relates to a party worker distributing money, seeking votes in her favour, was registered with Burgampahad police in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district following a complaint by election officials, police said.
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According to Hindustan Times, police said a case was registered after a flying squad of the Election Commission caught her associate Shaukat Ali red-handed distributing Rs 500 each among residents and seeking votes in Kavitha’s favour in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district during the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
According to a report in Times of India, during interrogation, Ali confessed to committing the crime at the behest of Maloth. Ali has been named as the first accused, while the MP is the second accused in the case.
Both of them have been granted bail and the MP would next move the high court against the convicted, reports said.
(With inputs from PTI)