A court in Hyderabad has sentenced Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Kavitha Maloth to six months in jail for bribing voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, NDTV reported on Sunday.
Maloth had won the elections from the Mahbubabad constituency in Warangal district. This is the first time a sitting MP has been convicted for bribing voters during the elections, The Times of India reported.
The judge at the special court for the trial of MP and MLAs also convicted Maloth’s supporter Shaukat Ali in the bribery case, according to The Hindu. He had been caught distributing money to voters by the Election Commission’s flying squad.
However, both of them were released on bail after they paid a fine of Rs 10,000.
The police had filed a case against the two under sections 171-B (bribery) and 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, according to The Hindu. They were acquitted of the second charge.
Maloth told PTI that she will approach the Telangana High Court in the matter. The special court had given her a month’s time to do so.
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