EC directives for printers during elections

As election fever is on the ante, money is being splurged. Election officials in Mumbai recovered Rs 14.5 lakh from two vehicles in the first seizure of dubious cash in Mumbai. My colleagues in PrintWeek India mention trucks with cash being transported all over India. One does not know the truth in these stories but the amounts of money is mind boggling.

According to a study, "unaccounted money" may account for over one-third of total Rs 30,000 crore estimated to be spent on the nine-phase Lok Sabha polls which will take place between April 7 to May 12. The estimated Rs 30,000 crore total spending (these are: official estimates for elections as well as unaccounted money spent by parties and their candidates) is the highest ever amount to be invested in Indian election.
This made a printer quip that it is a good time to print "black money".

This is where the directive to the Chief Electoral Officers is important because of the "Restrictions on the Printing of pamphlets, posters etc".

Some provisions are reproduced below:-

(1) No person shall print or publish, or cause to be printed or published, any election pamphlet or poster which does not bear on its face the names and addresses of the printer and the publisher thereof.

2) No person shall print or cause to be printed any election pamphlet or poster -
(a) unless a declaration as to the identity of the publisher thereof, signed by him and attested by two persons to whom he is personally

known, is delivered by him to the printer in duplicate; and 

(b) unless, within a reasonable time after the printing of the document, one copy of the declaration is sent by the printer, together with one copy of the document; 
(i) where it is printed in the capital of the State, to the Chief Electoral Officer; and
(ii) in any other case, to the district magistrate of the district in which it is printed.

(3) For the purpose of this section:- 
(a) any process for multiplying copies of a document, other than copying it by hand, shall be deemed to be printing and the expression "printer" shall be construed accordingly; and

(b) "election pamphlet or poster" means any printed pamphlet, hand-bill or other document distributed for the purpose of promoting or prejudicing the election of a candidate or group of candidates or any placard or poster having reference to an election, but does not include any hand bill, placard or poster merely announcing the date, time, place and other particulars of an election meeting or routine instructions to election agents or workers.

Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of sub-section (1) or subsection shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both".