Following the Supreme Court’s order, Kanwarlal Meea must now go to jail within 14 days. Under the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, his MLA-ship will be automatically terminated. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Speaker of the Assembly’s actions.
Demand for Cancellation of Membership
Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, the Congress launched a major political offensive. A delegation led by the state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Julie submitted a memorandum to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Secretariat. They demanded the immediate cancellation of the MLA’s membership following his three-year sentence. Dotasra alleged that the Assembly Speaker should have taken suo moto cognisance and cancelled the MLA’s membership, but he neither took action nor heeded the opposition’s concerns. He stated that according to the law, an MLA’s membership is automatically terminated upon receiving a sentence of two years or more.
This case dates back to 2005, when MLA Kanwarlal Meena had a heated argument with the then SDM Ramniwas Mehta. It is alleged that during this altercation, Meena pulled out his revolver, pointed it at the SDM’s temple, and threatened to kill him. Additionally, the videographer’s recording of the incident was allegedly seized and destroyed.
However, in 2018, the ACJM court, Manoharthana, acquitted him due to lack of evidence. But the case reached the ADJ court, where he was sentenced to three years in 2023. This decision was challenged in the High Court, but the Rajasthan High Court upheld the sentence and ordered the MLA to surrender.
