Recover pay drawn by Satrucherla Vijayarama Raju: Hyderabad HC
High Court ruled that Mr Vijayarama Raju did not belong to a Scheduled Tribe and that his caste certificates and documents were fake.
Hyderabad: Justice P. Naveen Rao of the Hyderabad High Court on Monday directed recovery of pay and allowances given as MLA to former Congress minister Satrucherla Vijayarama Raju.
This comes after Mr Vijayarama Raju's election from Nagaur (ST) Assembly constituency in Vizianagaram district between 1999 and 2004 was declared invalid in an earlier judgement on an election petition filed by his opponent from the Telugu Desam, Nimmaka Jayaraj.
Mr Jayaraj had earlier challenged the election stating that Mr Vijayarama Raju was a Kshatriya and did not belong to the ST community for which the Nagaur seat was reserved.
On that petition, the High Court ruled that Mr Vijayarama Raju did not belong to a Scheduled Tribe and that his caste certificates and documents were fake.
The court had ruled that Mr Vijayarama Raju was a Kshatriya, a forward community, and not Konda Dora, which is listed as a Scheduled Tribe, and declared his election invalid. Mr Vijayarama Raju had unsuccessfully challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court.
In 2004, Mr Vijayarama Raju had moved from Nagaur to neighbouring Parvathipuram (general) constituency in Vizianagaram district and went on to become a minister for forests in the Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy Cabinet.
Mr Jayaraj again moved the Hyderabad High Court seeking appropriate orders for the recovery of salary and perks drawn by Mr Vijayarama Raju as legislator between 1999 and 2004.
He contended that Mr Vijayarama Raju should be prosecuted and all allowances claimed by him as MLA should be recovered. The High Court on Monday, while disposing of the petition, ordered the authorities concerned to take steps for recovery of salary and perks that Mr Vijayarama Raju drew during that term.