A Delhi court on Tuesday framed charges against Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran in a case relating to alleged attempts to bribe Election Commission officials to secure the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol of the AIADMK.

Special Judge Arun Bharadwaj fixed December 17 as the date for the start of the trial after framing the charges of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code against Mr. Dhinakaran.

The police had cited two media executives working for private television channels, the Director of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and the staff of the hotel from where accused Sukesh Chandrashekar was arrested, besides Income Tax officials and police personnel, as prosecution witnesses in the case.

The court had, on November 17, framed charges against Mr. Chandrashekar, T.P. Mallikarjun and B. Kumar. But it had also discharged five accused Nathu Singh alias Naresh, Lalit Kumar K. Shah, Pulkit Kundra, Jai Vikram Haran alias Jai Bhai and Narender Jain  from the case.

The Delhi police charge-sheeted Mr. Dhinakaran last year. He is currently on bail.