Hyderabad: Amid a sea of complaints pouring in against the confiscation of property ahead of the Telangana assembly elections, the Telangana Police Department has decided to implement a standard operating procedure to release the confiscated property during inspections if it does not fall under the violation of rules, sources said.
An official said that authorities have seized Rs 412.46 crore worth of property since the election model of conduct came into effect in Telangana. Sources said that only Rs 2 crore worth property has been confiscated by the Income Tax Department for violating the Income Tax rules. The rest is the amount seized from the common people, sources said.
Amid complaints by the common people, the Telangana Police Department has taken a key decision in the wake of complaints pouring into the Election Commission. It has decided to implement a standard operating procedure to release the confiscated property during inspections if it does not fall under the violation of rules, an official said.
Also read:Telangana assembly elections: Is police 'harassing' common people in the name of Model Code of Conduct?
In this regard, DGP Anjani Kumar has issued fresh instructions to the police commissioners and district SPs. The office of the DGP has recently been ordered to follow the guidelines in the SPO prepared by the Election Commission on May 29, 2015, to hand over the property not related to the election to the owners.
The DGP directed that the victims should be made aware of the process of appeal to release the forfeited property which does not fall under the violation of rules. Generally, if the value of cash and jewelry found during inspections is more than Rs 50,000 they are confiscated immediately. The property is immediately handed over to the District Grievance Committee.
A committee comprising the Nodal Officer of the Expenditure Inspection Department will carry out a thorough inspection of the property. If the committee decides that there is no violation of the rules in the program, it will be returned to the owner. If the owner fails to submit the valid documentary, the property is ordered to be kept in the Malkhana or treasuries of the concerned police stations.
This committee, which conducts a review every 24 hours, gives orders to release the property immediately if satisfied. If the confiscated property is more than Rs10 lakh, it is handed over to the Income Tax Department.
