The court decision came on a petition by Congress leader D Kumar alleging that CPI(M) candidate A Raja was not qualified to contest.
A Raja, the sitting MLA of the Devikulam constituency. (Facebook)
The Kerala High Court on Monday, 20 March, set aside the result of the 2021 Assembly election of the Devikulam Assembly constituency in the Idukki district.
The court took the decision on a petition filed by Congress leader D Kumar, who was the runner-up in the seat, alleging that CPI(M) candidate, A Raja, was not qualified to contest the Devikulam seat as it is reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
In his plea, Kumar had said that Raja is a Christian, baptised in a church in the Idukki district, and submitted a fake certificate to prove that he belonged to an SC community.
Kumar also cited the solemnisation of Raja’s marriage in a church and other evidence that suggested his Christian faith.
Raja had defeated Kumar by a margin of 7,848 votes in the 2021 polls.
However, the CPI(M) claimed that the allegations against the Devikulam MLA were baseless and said that A Raja indeed belongs to the SC community.
“The family of A Raja migrated to Idukki in the 1940s as estate labourers, and that was before the country gained independence. Considering that circumstance, he is fully eligible for the SC reservation,” CPI(M) Idukki district secretary CV Varghese told South First.
He also added that the party would move the Supreme Court against the high court order since the sitting MLA is eligible as an SC candidate.
The Congress claimed that the high court order was a victory of righteousness.
“The Devikulam MLA A Raja contested the 2021 Assembly polls with fake certificates claiming that he belonged to the SC community. However, he belongs to the Christian community and is not eligible for an SC reservation,” Congress Idukki district president CP Mathew told South First.
He added that based on the high court order, the UDF would be moving forward preparing for a bypoll in the constituency.
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