The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the Kerala-based Communist Party of India (Marxist) mouthpiece Kairali for allegedly circulating fictitious images that seek to defame AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, MP.
AICC legal cell chairman Abhisekh Singhvi filed a petition seeking ECI’s urgent intervention. The petition states that the making and subsequent dissemination of the picture on social media, including by CPI(M) cliques, was a violation of the model code of conduct.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president AA Shukur simultaneously filed a complaint against the channel at the Alappuzha North police station.
He accused the channel of trying to create enmity between different groups of people, criminal conspiracy, defamation and violation of the IT Act. Mr. Shukur called “fake news” an attempt to subvert the legitimate democratic process through unethical and criminal means.
In a press release, KPCC said the fabricated image sought to show Mr. Venugopal accepting money from a person. The controversy centered on allegations that the Congress national leadership was trying to sell Haryana Assembly seats.
The CPI(M) stirred up controversy during the Kerala election campaign by highlighting a complaint filed by an individual who alleged that he had transferred large sums of money to the bank accounts of several leaders to secure an assembly seat for his wife, a Haryana Mahila Congress functionary.
Published – 04 Apr 2026 10:16 IST
