Supreme Court upheld 2021 Kerala Parliament Poll Devikulam MLA

Devikulam Mla A. Raja. |Picture source: Hindu

The Supreme Court upheld the victory of Devikulam MLA and CPI (M) leader A. Raja in 2021 on May 6, 2025 (May 6, 2025), while shelving the judgment of the Kerala High Court, leaving the poll results invalid.

Judge Ahsanuddin Amanullah found in his judgment that he was invalidated by the High Court as a legislator.

The Supreme Court ordered Mr. Raja to obtain all corresponding benefits of the judgment.

The High Court found that he was not qualified to make a booking of caste, because he was a Christian convert. It ordered Mr. Raja to be tried.

The Supreme Court retained the High Court's ruling in 2023.

The court refused to accept the arguments of Congress candidate D. Kumar, who listed Mr. Raja's elections.

Mr. Kumar questioned Mr. Raja’s identity as a member of the “Hindu-Palayan” community and expressed doubts about the validity of the caste certificate of the CPM leaders.

Raja said in his appeal to the Supreme Court that he was a member of the pre-determined caste, the “Hindu-Parayan” at birth, and claimed to be a Hindu religion throughout his life. Mr Raja said he was born on October 17, 1984, claiming to be a Hindu religion and was accepted by the “Hindu-Palayan” caste as its member.

He argued that Mr. Kumar never questioned the authenticity of his documents. The High Court did not discuss or even filed the certificate to him in its judgment, while also ruling that he was not a member of the Hindu-Palayan caste.

“Whether it is possible to refuse the benefit of arranging caste, as he declared his election from the Dvikuram Legislative Assembly constituency, which is reserved for the intended caste, if invalid, is based on the so-called conversion on Christian basis, neither proved by the defendant (Kumar) (Kumar),” appealed. ”

The appeal questioned whether the High Court correctly rejected Mr Raja's SC status interest, despite the fact that his grandparents had emigrated to the former Travancore State (now Kerala) before 1950 and continued to live in Kerala permanently.