A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed a voluminous 20,000-page chargesheet in the alleged "vote theft" case involving attempts to delete 5,994 voters from the electoral rolls in the Aland Assembly constituency during the 2023 Karnataka elections. The document, submitted to the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on December 13, 2025, names seven accused, including former four-time BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar, his son Harshanand Guttedar, and personal secretary Tipperudra.

The other accused are three data centre operators from Kalaburagi—Akram Pasha, Mukaram Pasha, and Mohammed Ashfaq—and Bapi Adya from West Bengal, who allegedly provided an OTP bypass tool to access Election Commission online services. Adya was arrested earlier but released on bail, while the Guttedars and secretary received pre-arrest bail.

Harshanand Guttedar denied the allegations, claiming he and his father were framed. The case gained political traction after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and Election Commission of "massive voter deletions" in Aland in September 2025. The EC rejected the claims, stating no deletions occur online without due process.

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Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called the chargesheet factual, noting plans for assembly discussion. Minister Priyank Kharge demanded BJP accountability for the former MLA's involvement. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi countered that courts would decide guilt, dismissing premature conclusions.

The probe highlights concerns over electoral integrity, with the case stemming from complaints of systematic voter list manipulation ahead of the 2023 polls, where Congress swept to power. As proceedings advance, the chargesheet is expected to intensify political debates on voter suppression tactics in Karnataka's competitive landscape.

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