Imphal, April 15: The Manipur High Court on Thursday ruled out the election of MLA Okram Henry Singh who was elected from Wangkhei Assembly Constituency of Imphal East district, as ‘null and void’.
The judgement was given by a single bench of Justice MV Muralidaran into an Election Petition filed by Yumkham Erabot Singh who had alleged Okram Henry of “deliberately misrepresenting his Educational Qualification’ and “concealing a criminal case to the Election Commission of India in his affidavit for the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly elections 2017.
The Thursday order have cancelled the Okram Henry’s election citing ‘false affidavit’ submission to the Election Commission and made the petitioner Yumkham Erabot, second highest scorer in 2017 elections as “duly elected as a member of 15-Wangkhei Assembly Constituency.”
” The Election petition is allowed by declaring the election of the Respondent No. 1 as Member of 15 Wangkhei Assembly Constituency in the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly as null and void,” the judgment read.
In the 2017 Assembly election, Okram Henry secured 16,753 votes to beat Yumkham Erabot of BJP who secured 12,417 votes.
Yumkham Erabot had cited in the petition that Okram Henry had filed his highest educational qualification to be BA from Punjab University in his nomination for Manipur Assembly elections 2012 and filed “Class XII from Manipur Public School, CBSE” as highest educational qualification in his nomination in 2017 elections.
Erabot also cited that Okram Henry had not disclosed about a criminal case and a narcotic case against him to the Election Commission.
Okram Henry, who contested the 2017 elections from Congress, is the nephew of former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh from Congress. He had left the Congress in August 11 after tendering his resignation along with five other turncoats Congress legislators to the Manipur Assembly Speaker and joined the BJP.
It may be worth mentioning that in September last, chief minister N Biren Singh dropped six cabinet ministers and inducted five new MLAs, including Okram Henry. Henry held the portfolios of Social Welfare, Cooperation and MAHUD.
