HC disqualifies Kerala Cong MP on caste claim

The court observed that “he was not a trustworthy witness,” who claimed to be a Cheramar Hindu,an SC community in Kerala,but his school records showed that he was a Cheramar Christian,an OBC community.

The petitioners had said that Suresh was born to Cheramar Christian parents and his father’s name was Joseph. After completing his 10th standard education in 1978,he got converted into Hinduism. The petitioner had produced a certificate from the Kerala Hindu Mission,Thiruvananthapuram,to attest the respondent’s shudhi ceremony held at the age of 15. The petitioner contended that just because a Cheramar Christian got converted into Hinduism did not mean that by default he had became a Cheramar Hindu.

Suresh could not produce any convincing evidence to prove that he should be treated as an SC. Besides,he was converted as a Hindu while he was minor. Although his mother was the legal guardian,it was his brother who took Suresh for conversion. There was no evidence to show that he had embraced Hinduism even after becoming an adult.

The court found that many of the documents presented by the respondent were contradictory. While his father’s name was Joseph,the Congress leader had given the same as ‘Kunjan’ in the nomination papers.

A certificate from Nedumangadu Tahasildar said Suresh was a Cheramar Hindu,while another from Kottarakkara Tahsildar said he belonged to the Hindu Pulaya community.

Suresh had been a Lok Sabha member in 1989,91,96 and 99. He was defeated in 1998 and 2004.

The petitioner’s advocate,S Jayasankar,said the Congress MP was exposed with the help of the Right to Information Act. After the last elections,which he won,Suresh’s rivals could not move the court for want of documentary evidences to show that an OBC Christian was ‘masquerading’ as an SC Hindu. This is also the success of the RTI,he said.