Prakash Raj is once more on the receiving end of legal trouble since a court in Bengaluru has restored a non-bailable warrant to him after he was arrested by the police for holding multiple voter ID cards. The case is based on an alleged violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 by being a voter in more than one state.
The complaint was filed by advocate Dileep Kumar at Halasuru Gate police station in Bengaluru. He said Prakash Raj’s name was on electoral rolls of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. In Indian election law, a citizen can only be registered in one constituency based on his or her residence. Having multiple voter IDs is a criminal offence and can lead to legal action.
The matter was taken up in the 48th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Court in Bengaluru. The court had earlier issued summons to Prakash Raj to appear in connection with the allegations. But after he did not show up on many occasions, the court issued a non-bailable warrant, most recently on June 12, 2026. The case will now be posted for the next hearing on July 25, 2026.
The actor is alleged to have concealed information of his multiple voter IDs to file nomination papers when he was campaigning as an independent candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Bangalore Central. This is in violation of Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act (election) which relates to false declarations on electoral lists and Section 125A, which relates to false affidavits in election documents.
Under these provisions, knowingly providing false information or filing false affidavits can result in up to six months imprisonment, fines and/or both. A non-bailable warrant allows police to arrest and bring the accused before the court, but it does not imply guilt.
Prakash Raj has dismissed the accusations, calling them “fake news” on social media. He argued that misinformation was being spread about him and that he was being targeted. We have a case and we will be waiting for the next hearing.
Prakash Raj’s celebrity status has been the focus of this matter, but so has the question of electoral integrity and if the charges are proved the actor’s public image and political hopes would be affected. For the time being, the actor is still under scrutiny as the Bengaluru court assesses the matter further.
