Gandhinagar: Talala MLA Bhagwan Barad has been disqualified as member of Gujarat Assembly, confirmed Speaker Rajendra Trivedi today.

Trivedi said, “Bhagabhai Barad, MLA of Talala was on 1st March given 2.9 months jail term in mineral theft by Sutrapada court. Certified copy of local court verdict was sent to the assembly office by legal department. After going through the details of the copy of local court verdict, legal provisions and related order of the Supreme Court, it was concluded that MLA getting more than two years sentence is disqualified from the date of verdict. As per this, Barad has been disqualified and related communication has been sent to the state and central election commission and district collector. The seat as on today is declared vacant.”

Congress MLA from Talala in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, Bhagwan Barad was facing threat of disqualification as a local taluka court in Sutrapada town on 1st March awarded 2 year 9 month jail term to him in an over two decade old case of mineral theft.

The court of Judicial Magistrate held him guilty under section 379 (theft) and 420 (cheating) and had sentenced him with 2 year 9 month jail term in connection with the case pertaining to theft of mineral worth over 2.5 crore from a Gochar (cow-pasture) land in Sutrapada in 1995. Barad however got bail in the case.

As per the section 8(3) of the Representation of the people Act 1951, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years is disqualified from the date of such conviction and continues to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

DeshGujarat