HC stays order against AIADMK MLA's SC status

Chennai, Jan 28 (UNI) Madras High Court today stayed an order passed by the Virudhunagar District Community Certificate Scrutinising Committee, cancelling the community certificate issued to AIADMK Rajapalayam (Reserved) constituency Legislator M Chandra. The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla, admitted a writ petition filed by Ms Chandra, seeking to declare the order as null and void, and ordered notice to the Virudhunagar District Collector, also the Committee Chairman.

In her petition, she submitted that she had successfully contested the Rajapalayam (reserved) constituency in the 2006 Assembly elections, defeating her DMK rival V P Rajan. Mr Rajan had challenged her election through an election petition, claiming that she did not belong to the SC community and had submitted a bogus community certificate to the election officer to contest from the reserved constituency. The election petition was pending in the High Court.

She submitted that subsequently one of Mr Rajan's relatives had filed a petition before the Committee to cancel the certificate issued to her as she was a converted Christian and had obtained an order to cancel the certificate using his political pressure.

She contended that her parents had converted to Christianity only after her birth, while she continued as a SC community Hindu. She had obtained her community certificate based on her eighth standard school leaving certificate, she added.

UNI XR GD SK VC2245