Rashid Masood disqualified from Rajya Sabha

Congress leader Rashid Masood was Monday disqualified from the Rajya Sabha, following his conviction in a corruption case.

Masood is the first member of parliament to be disqualified after the Supreme Court, in a verdict given July 10, mandated immediate disqualification of lawmakers convicted for criminal offences punishable with a jail term of more than two years.

Masood was sentenced to four years in jail by special CBI court of Justice JPS Malik for fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates from across the country to MBBS seats in 1990-91 on Sep 19.

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 was lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

The MP 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 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).

His disqualification will be valid from the date of his verdict, an official from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said.