SP MP gave fake caste certificate- DM

Lucknow, June 18(UNI) In a major setback to the Samajwadi Party, the district magistrate of Sant-kabir-nagar has termed the caste certificate of Lok Sabha member from Akbarpur seat Sankh Lal Manjhi 'fake'.

DM Chob Singh in a decision today said the SP MP did not belong to the Scheduled Caste category and hence his election to the Lok Sabha was illegal.

Mr Singh said that the caste certificate of 1993 submitted by Mr Manjhi during the Lok Sabha elections is a fake one and as he had contested the elections on a reserved seat, his memership is illegal.

Mr Manjhi had contested the Akbarpur Lok Sabha by-elections in 2005 after Ms Mayawati vacated the seat, after being elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was cabinet minister in the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government before becoming the LS member.

After the bypolls, BSP MP from Basti Lalmani Prasad had objected to the caste certificate of Mr Manjhi and had file of a petition in the Allahabad High Court. The HC had asked the DM of Sant Kabir Nagar to investigate into the matter.

The DM had probed the matter and even heared the two sides before giving his decision.

Meanwhile Mr Manjhi talking to UNI here said that it was a conspiracy hatched by the BSP government against him and he will challenge the case in the appropriate court.

UNI