SIT files voluminous chargesheet, names Subhash, son Harshanand Guttedar as first two accused.
Published Dec 13, 2025 | 11:08 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 14, 2025 | 12:39 AM
INDIA bloc's protest against the alleged 'vote chori'. (X)
Synopsis: Briefing the media, the police said that between 9 December 2022 and 20 February 2023, attempts were made to remove names from voters’ list without the knowledge of the original voters across the 256 polling stations in the Aland Assembly constituency.
The alleged vote ‘chori‘ in Karnataka’s Aland that shook the nation is now once more in the news with the formal naming of former MLA and BJP leader Subhash Guttedar, his son Harshanand Guttedar, and four others as accused.
In a voluminous chargesheet, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to probe the case in September, alleged that the former MLA had paid money to a call-centre owner in Aland to delete 5,994 votes from the electoral rolls.
Responding to the accusations, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the election fraud in Aland was true.
“A chargesheet has been filed against BJP leader Subhash Guttedar. Our MLAs will raise the issue in the Assembly on Monday. This is not just the voice of Karnataka but of the entire country,” he replied to reporters’ query in Bengaluru.
“They (the SIT) have filed a chargesheet based on the investigation. The chargesheet says that phone records have been deleted. We will open legal banks in each assembly constituency to fight vote theft, as instructed by Rahul Gandhi,” he added.
Briefing the media, the police said that between 9 December 2022 and 20 February 2023, attempts were made to remove names from voters’ list without the knowledge of the original voters across the 256 polling stations in the Aland Assembly constituency.
Malicious applications seeking such deletions were submitted online using various mobile numbers through services such as the NVSP, VHA, and Garuda apps.
Subsequently, in accordance with the Election Commission’s directive and a verbal order of the Kalaburagi District Magistrate, 5,994 out of 6,018 applications received were rejected. Based on these developments, the Election Commission filed a written complaint requesting an investigation and appropriate action.
According to the chargesheet, the accused persons are:
A-1: Subhash Guttedar has been elected as MLA for the Aland Assembly Constituency-46, four times between 2018 and 2023.
A-2: Harshanand Guttedar, son of A-1 has been elected to the Kalaburagi Zilla Panchayat three times and has once served as its vice president.
A-3: Tipperudra is an assistant of A-1 and A-2.
A-4: Akram Pasha
A-5: Aslam Pasha, Akram’s brother.
A-6: Mohammed Ashfaq Ahmed, a relative of the Pashas. All three are residents of Kalaburagi.
A-7: Bapi Adya is originally from West Bengal.
Explaining the alleged conspiracy, the chargesheet said, A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4 conspired for the political benefit of A-1 in the Aland Assembly constituency.
“The plan involved identifying voters who did not vote for A-1 and targeting their names for deletion from the voters’ list to secure political advantage,” it alleged.
“The original voter details, including names, voter list information and associated data were collected and held by the accused, who then initiated steps to remove these names online. As part of the conspiracy, deletion applications were to be submitted in Form 7 through the NVSP portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in/), an online service developed and maintained by the Election Commission, without the consent of the original voters,” the chargesheet added.
The scheme was to allegedly create electronic documents containing false information, retaining them, and submitting them as genuine applications.
“The purpose was to make the submitted details appear authentic so that Election Commission officials would accept the applications as real and remove the names from the voters’ list,” it added.
On the roles the accused played, the chargesheet said that A-1 allegedly formed a systematic and organised criminal conspiracy with sole intention of illegally depriving original voters of their constitutionally right to vote, thereby undermining the trust placed in the democratic process.
“A-4 is described as the link connecting A-1, A-2, A-3, A-5, A-6, and A-7 in this conspiracy. A-4 to A-6, who frequently accessed the NISP/NVSP portals maintained by the Election Commission, are alleged to have acted with a specific intent to obtain unlawful gain,” it said.
The accused people carried out their scheme after learning the following:
1. National Voter Service Portal (NVSP):
Mobile numbers are accepted for Login/Register using OTP.
2. Once logged in, only the password associated with the login ID is needed.
3. After login, there is no time limit for the session (no automatic logout).
4. An unlimited number of applications can be submitted once a login is created.
5. The mobile number used for deletion applications may be any 10-digit number, even one unrelated to the voter.
6. The original voter does not receive any electronic notification when a deletion application is submitted.
Knowing these factors, A-4 to A-6 allegedly conspired to illegally obtain mobile numbers and OTPs required to create login IDs.
As an extended part of the conspiracy, A-7 identified a system for supplying OTPs through https://otpbazar.online, which he managed for financial gain.
This enabled the creation of login IDs on the NVSP portal using illegally obtained mobile numbers and OTPs, thereby facilitating identification and impersonation of third parties online.
The chargesheet extensively detailed the former MLA and his son’s role.
“A-1 Subhash Guttedar, the then-sitting MLA of the Aland Assembly constituency, directed A-2 to A-7 to collect Aadhaar numbers and voter details for political purposes. A-2 and A-3 worked under his guidance, conducting door-to-door visits and collecting documents while falsely claiming to be conducting government-authorised verification. A-4, A-5, and A-6 assisted by gathering Aadhaar cards, mobile numbers, and personal data from residents using misrepresentation. A-7 provided mobile numbers and OTPs through the OTPBazar service for unauthorised login creation,” it said.
Using these details, the accused allegedly created fraudulent login IDs and uploaded deletion applications on the NVSP portal. As a result, 5,994 voter names were wrongfully deleted.
“The acts of A-1 and the co-accused constitute cheating, impersonation, forgery, misuse of Aadhaar information, and violating the constitutional rights of voters. Along with this, according to the plans of A-1, A-2 and A-3, A-1 has engaged in destroying the evidence related to the crime.”
Considering the nature of the crime, A1 was charged under sections 120(B), 182, 409, 419, 464, 465, 468, 471, 201, 204 read with 34 of the IPC, and Sections 66 and 84 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
“A-2 Harshanand Guttedar has participated in this conspiracy for the gains of his father, i.e A-1, and his own political future, along with A-3, A-4, A-5, and A-6.”
It stated that they identified voters of the Aland constituency, who probably did not vote for A-1, and A-2 handed the list to A-4 and A-5 through A-3. The same list was then shared with A-6 by A-4 and A-5.”
Now, the mobile number and OTP purchased from A-7 were used to create login IDs on the NVSP portal without any information to the original voters.
“Subsequently these login IDs were used to apply and a total of 5,994 applications with fake information were submitted in digital form through a coordinated effort of A-4, A-5 and A-6. It has been established that A-2 has assisted A-1 in a prominent role in this entire conspiracy. Along with this, they made the Election Commission officials believe that these fake applications were genuine,” the SIT alleged in the chargesheet.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
