In first of its kind, in the history of Indian politics, a sitting MP Kavitha Maloth has been sentenced to six months of imprisonment by a special court and slapped with a fine of ₹10,000 in the cash-for-vote scam. Maloth and her associate Shaukat Ali, however, have been granted bail and the MP would next move the high court against the convicted. A member of Parliament from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) representing the Mahbubabad constituency, Maloth was accused of seeking vote in lieu of cash.
Police said a case was registered in Bhadradri-Kothagudem after a flying squad of the Election Commission caught Ali red-handed distributing cash ( ₹500 each) among residents. According to a report in Times of India, during interrogation, Ali confessed to committing the crime at the behest of Maloth. While Ali has been named as the first accused, the MP is the second accused in the case. Notably, this is not the first instance when an MP has been sentenced by the special sessions court for committing crimes. Earlier BJP MLA Raja Singh and TRS MLA Danam Nagender were awarded jail terms as well