Former MLA A Raja is a converted Christian, caste status invalid, says KIRTADS report
KIRTADS found former MLA A Raja belongs to a Christian-converted Scheduled Caste community, invalidating his caste status. Petitioner D Kumar alleged Raja fraudulently contested the Devikulam reserved seat.
KIRTADS found former MLA A Raja belongs to a Christian-converted Scheduled Caste community, invalidating his caste status. Petitioner D Kumar alleged Raja fraudulently contested the Devikulam reserved seat.
KIRTADS found former MLA A Raja belongs to a Christian-converted Scheduled Caste community, invalidating his caste status. Petitioner D Kumar alleged Raja fraudulently contested the Devikulam reserved seat.
Thodupuzha: A Vigilance inquiry by KIRTADS (Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) has found that former Devikulam MLA A Raja belongs to the Scheduled Caste community converted to Christianity, invalidating his claimed caste status.
Addressing a press conference, KPCC General Secretary and advocate for the petitioner, S Asokan, stated that the Vigilance Officer has submitted the findings to the Scrutiny Committee. The inquiry was initiated based on a complaint filed by opposing candidate D Kumar, alleging that Raja fraudulently submitted documents to contest from the Devikulam assembly constituency—a seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste community—in the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. Kumar approached KIRTADS following an extensive legal battle that reached the Supreme Court.
In the 2021 assembly election, Raja defeated Kumar by a margin of 7,848 votes. Kumar subsequently challenged the result in the High Court of Kerala, seeking to annul the election on the grounds that Raja was a converted Christian and not eligible for the SC reservation. The High Court ultimately set aside Raja's election win. However, Raja appealed to the Supreme Court, which issued a stay on the High Court order and restored his assembly membership.
Following this, Kumar petitioned KIRTADS, the statutory authority in Kerala tasked with verifying the authenticity of caste certificates. Asokan noted that an expert panel conducted an anthropological investigation and concluded that Raja is a converted Christian, adding that the Scrutiny Committee will now decide on the subsequent course of action and demanding the recovery of benefits illegally drawn by Raja.
Reacting to the development, DCC Vice President D Kumar expressed that he remained confident the truth would prevail despite procedural delays. Advocate Reji G Nair was also present at the press conference. A Raja has not yet issued an official response regarding the report.