On April 4th, 2023 at 8:58 PM IST, Devikulam MLA Raja’s plea for an extension of the disqualification order was rejected by the High Court. The initial stay granted for up to 10 days to appeal to the Supreme Court became void when errors were found in the appeal. Raja MLA will no longer be able to participate in the Legislative Assembly without intervention from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s decision is final. The High Court had previously revoked the Devikulam election due to Raja’s disqualification on grounds of not being qualified to contest the Scheduled Caste reserved seat. The opposition candidate, Congress D. Kumar, had filed the petition for annulment.
Kochi: The High Court rejected the plea filed by Devikulam MLA Raja seeking extension of the stay on the disqualification order.
The stay was granted for a maximum of 10 days for filing an appeal in the Supreme Court. An appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court but has not yet been considered. This is hindered by errors in the appeal.
When the appeal was filed in the Supreme Court, the stay initially granted by the High Court became void. This is why the petition has been filed requesting to extend the stay for another 20 days. However, judging that it cannot be considered in the case of filing a petition in the Supreme Court, Justice P. Somarajan rejected the petition.
With this again technically Raja MLA. No more. He will also not be able to participate in the Legislative Assembly without the intervention of the Supreme Court.
It was stated in the interim stay order that he should not participate in voting or receive benefits as a member of the legislature. The decision of the Supreme Court is now decisive.
The High Court had earlier annulled the Devikulam election on the grounds that Raja was not qualified to contest the Scheduled Caste reserved seat. Opposing candidate Congress D. The order was on a petition filed by Kumar.
As the legal battle continues, Devikulam MLA A. Raja’s future remains uncertain. The High Court’s rejection of his plea seeking an extension of the stay on his disqualification order means that he is technically no longer an MLA and cannot participate in the Legislative Assembly without the intervention of the Supreme Court. The decision of the Supreme Court will now be decisive. Opposition candidate Congress D. Kumar had filed a petition against Raja’s eligibility to contest the Scheduled Caste reserved seat, which the High Court had earlier annulled. While the case remains ongoing, only time will tell what the future holds for Raja’s political career.