Masood will lose the right to contest polls for the next 10 years since a convicted leader cannot fight elections for six years from the date of release from their prison.
Congress MP Rasheed Masood has been sentenced to four years in jail for fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates from across the country to MBBS seats in 1990-91. It has made him the first to stand disqualified as a lawmaker under the historic judgement of Supreme Court.
Special CBI Court Judge J.P.S. Malik held Masood guilty on charges of corruption and other offences. On 19 September, Judge Malik had held Masood guilty of nominating undeserving candidates for academic session 1990-91 to MBBS seats allocated to Tripura from the central pool.
These seats are made available to Tripura for allotment to eligible students from the state on the basis of merit, he had said. The Government of Tripura constituted the Tripura Board of Joint Entrance Examination (TBJEE) in 1988 for selection of candidates through joint entrance examination held every year.
Masood was Minister of State (Independent Charge) in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare when the offence took place.
In its chargesheet, the CBI had said that Tripura does not have any medical college of its own. “Consequently some MBBS and BDS seats are allocated every year from central pool by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India in various medical colleges across the country,” CBI counsel VN Ojha had told the court.
The CBI had then argued that Masood be sentenced to seven years in jail for his involvement in the scam.
Masood will soon be taken to Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
The MP, who was immediately taken into custody after the sentencing, will also lose the right to contest polls for the next 10 years since a convicted leader cannot fight elections for six years from the date of release from their prison.
Masood faces immediate disqualification as the Rajya Sabha member under a recent Supreme Court ruling that a Member of Parliament and State legislatures stands disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more and under some other laws even without jail sentence.
Masood was found guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and under Indian Penal Code Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery).
Along with Masood, top bureaucrats, IPS officer Gurdayal Singh and IAS officer AK Roy have also been sentenced to four years in jail. The students involved in the scam, including Masood’s nephew, have been sentenced to a year in jail.
With this case, Congress’ hand is more deep into dirt. The big face-saving attempt made by Rahul Gandhi may or may not have served his purpose, but it did hurt Congress’ image. The SC is already planning to slap a contempt case against the Prime Minister on the same issue.
The numbers for Congress has already been falling. Lalu Yadav’s conviction has further deepened the crisis for the party. Guess they will have to pull a really nice act after the PM returns and faces SC.
