The Kerala High Court set aside the election of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Kodikunnil Suresh to the 15th Lok Sabha from the Mavelikkara constituency, which is reserved for scheduled caste.

The petition filed by defeated candidate R S Anil of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and two others was allowed by Judge Sashidharan Nambiar.

The court found that there were conflicting statements made by Mr Suresh about his caste status.

As per the school records, Mr Suresh is a converted Christian and thus cannot avail the benefits entitled for a member of the scheduled caste. Therefore his nomination should have been rejected by the Returning Officer on grounds that he was not a member of the scheduled caste, hence cannot contest from a seat reserved for the scheduled caste.

Five-time parliamentarian, Mr Suresh was elected to Lok Sabha in the 2009 elections with a margin of 45,059 votes.

UNI