Karnataka BJP MLA Gets 2-Month Jail For Hiding Cases In Poll Affidavit

BJP MLA Uday Garudachar was on Thursday sentenced to two months' imprisonment by a local court in Bengaluru for keeping off information in his election affidavit.

An Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court sentenced him to prison and fined him Rs 10,000 for failing to mention two pending criminal cases against him and the fact that he was the managing director of a private company.

He has been found guilty under the Representation of Peoples Act after a complaint was lodged by a person in this regard.

Though the MLA has been sentenced, considering that the sentence is less than two years, the court granted him bail allowing him to appeal to a higher court. He was released on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety.

Uday Garudachar contested the Chikpet Assembly Constituency from Bengaluru in 2018 and won on a BJP ticket. The affidavit was filed on April 18, 2018.

It was alleged that though he was the managing director of the private firm, his affidavit mentioned him only as an investor. His wife was a director of the same company, which was also not mentioned in the election affidavit. It was also found that he had not mentioned the bank account details of his wife in the affidavit.

The allegation against him as recorded by a court read, "The accused was aware of the criminal case...pending...the accused did not mention about the same in the affidavit. The accused has sworn false affidavit and submitted the same before the election officer."

"The accused also had to furnish his wife's bank balance in the affidavit. But he has not stated the actual balance in her account as on the date of filing the said affidavit. The accused has also stated in the affidavit that he is the investor in the private company and others as well..."

Sentencing him, the trial court said the charges against the MLA were proved.

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