Case Against Madhavi Latha For Facial Examination Of Muslim Women

A case has been registered against the BJP's Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat candidate Madhavi Latha for conducting facial examinations of Muslim women.

During the Lok Sabha polling on Monday, the BJP candidate visited a polling station in the Old City (polling booth number 122 of the Azampur area in the city) and asked at least two women to lift their burqas to compare their faces with the photos in their identification cards.

A video of this incident has gone viral on social media platforms, and several people protested. MIM leaders lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, demanding stringent action against her for violating the poll code.

Responding to the incident, District Election Officer Ronald Rose issued orders for the registration of an FIR against her. Following the instructions, a case was registered at the Malakpet police station under IPC sections 171C, 186 and 505(10)(C), and Section 132 of the Representation of the People Act.

Meanwhile, Madhavi Latha defended her act, saying that as per the law a candidate had the right to check voter ID cards without face masks.

"I am not a man, but a woman. So very humbly I requested them. If someone wants to make a big issue out of it, it is understandable that they are afraid," she said.

Madhavi Latha is pitted against a formidable opponent in the form of four-time Lok Sabha MP and MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and the BRS' Gaddam Srinivas Yadav. This is the first time that the BJP has fielded a female candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat.

Owaisi has been the Hyderabad MP since 2004.