(1)A person shall be guilty of an offence, if, at any election he -(a)fraudulently defaces or destroys any nomination paper ; or(b)fraudulently defaces, destroys or removes any lists, notice or other document affixed by or under the authority of a returning officer; or(c)fraudulently defaces or destroys any ballot paper or the official mark on any ballot paper ; or(d)without due authority supplies any ballot paper to any person ; or(e)fraudulently puts into any ballot box anything other than the ballot paper which he is not authorised by law to be put in; or(f)without due authority destroys, takes, opens or otherwise interferes with any ballot box or ballot papers then in use for the purpose of the election; or(g)fraudulently or without the authority, as the case may be, attempts to do any of the foregoing acts or wilfully aids or abets the doing of such acts.(2)Any person guilty of an offence under this section shall -(a)If he is returning officer or a presiding officer at a polling station or any other officer or official employed on official duty in connection with the election, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine of rupees one thousand or with both;(b)if he is any other person, on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine of five hundred rupees or with both.(3)For the purposes of this section, a person shall be deemed to be on official duty if his duty is to take part in the conduct of an election or part of an election including the counting of votes or to be responsible after an election for the used ballot papers and other documents in connection with such election, but the expression "official duty" shall not include any duty imposed otherwise than by or under this Act.(4)An offence punishable under clause (b) of sub-section (2) shall be cognizable.
