Ahmedabad/Godhara:

Independent MLA from Morva Hadaf (reserved for ST seat) constituency in Panchamals district in Central Gujarat Bhupendra Khant, whose membership of the state assembly was at stake now following recommendation of a scrutiny committee of the state government to invalidate his caste certificate, today moved High Court to challenge the decision of the committee.

38 year old Khant, son of an OBC father V K Khant and ST mother and former Congress MLA from the same seat, late Savita Khant who died of a cardiac arrest soon after her victory in 2012, said that he has filed a petition challenging the scrutiny committee order in the Gujarat High Court today. The matter was likely to be heard on Monday (January 22).

Khant, who had contested the seat as an independent revolting with his party Congress and emerged victorious had later announced his support to the party. Congress had given the seat to its ally Bhartiya Tribal Party led by Chhotu Vasava. Later a complaint challenging his caste status was filed before the administration for the examination of which the committee was constituted.

Tribal development commissioner R J Makadia had yesterday said that a committee to verify the schedule tribe certificate of Khant after the detailed record verification had recommended that the certificate is invalid.

Now the fate of Khant hangs in balance as, if the recommendation of the committee was upheld by the election commission, he will have to lose the membership of the assembly. But if the court rejects it, he would continue as MLA.

Khant maintained that there was nothing wrong with his caste certificate but he was being targeted owing to political reasons. As per law the son of a non-tribal father and tribal mother was entitled to be treated as ST.

Interestingly Congress had expelled him owing to his candidature as independent but the party apparently put the red carpet before him following his victory. He had also met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Ahmedabad last month. BTP candidate Kalpesh Damor who lost against him as Congress supported candidate was also said to be instrumental in raking up his caste certificate issue.

DeshGujarat