SIT charges former BJP MLA and his son in Aland vote theft probe
The SIT has charged seven individuals, including ex-BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar, in a vote theft case in Karnataka's Aland constituency.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of vote theft in the Aland assembly constituency during the 2023 assembly elections in Karnataka on Friday submitted a detailed charge sheet naming seven accused, including former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar and his son.
The charge sheet was submitted before the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court in Bengaluru.
The accused named include four-time former Aland MLA Subhash Guttedar, his son Harshanand Guttedar, the MLA’s personal secretary Tipperudra, and three data centre operators based in Kalaburagi—Akram Pasha, Mukaram Pasha and Mohammad Ashfaq and Bapi Adya, who is originally from West Bengal.
Officers in the SIT said the investigation revealed a systematic and technology-driven attempt to manipulate the voter list by illegally cancelling voter registrations using OTP-based verification methods. “The deletion of voters was not random. It was executed through a coordinated mechanism involving data operators and digital tools,” said additional director general of police (CID) BK Singh, who heads the SIT.
Bapi Adya, who was the first accused to be arrested in the case, was alleged to have operated a website named OTP Bazaar, which was linked to a US-based platform that provided OTP bypass facilities. He has since been released on bail.
The chargesheet also notes that Akram Pasha and his brothers had submitted an application in February 2023, seeking cancellation of 6,018 votes. SIT officials stated that the voter names were subsequently removed using OTP authentication, raising serious concerns about misuse of digital infrastructure. Following these revelations, the residences of Guttedar and other accused were searched early in October as part of the probe.
Reacting to the chargesheet, Harshanand Guttedar denied all allegations. “This is a politically motivated case. My father and I have been falsely implicated without any concrete evidence,” he said, maintaining that the family had no role in any voter manipulation.
Earlier, a special court had granted anticipatory bail to Subhash Guttedar, his son Harshanand and personal secretary Tipperudra, lawyers familiar with proceedings confirmed.
Meanwhile, deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar linked the developments to the Congress party’s broader campaign against alleged electoral malpractice.
“The fight against vote theft has already begun from Freedom Park in Bengaluru. On Sunday, we are taking this movement to Delhi with a massive protest at Ramlila Maidan,” Shivakumar told reporters.
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