RANCHI: Mandar legislator Bandhu Tirkey has been disqualified as member of Jharkhand legislative assembly, a notification said on Friday.
Jharkhand Assembly Secretariat issued a notification in this regard today after assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto on Thursday gave his consent to start official procedure on Tirkey's disqualification under Representation of People Act, 1951, following a judgment by a CBI court.
A special CBI court in Jharkhand, on March 28, had sentenced Tirkey, a former minister in the state government, to three years in jail in a corruption case.
The court of Special Judicial Commissioner and CBI Prabhat Kumar Sharma also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh on Tirkey.
The secretariat's notification said that as a result of the conviction, Mandar MLA Bandhu Tirkey is disqualified from the membership of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly under the provisions of section-8 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and Article-191 (1)(e) of the Constitution with effect from the date of conviction that is March 28, 2022.
The CBI had filed the case against Tirkey, a three-term MLA and working president of state Congress, in 2010 for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his first stint as MLA between 2005 and 2009.
Tirkey had served as the Education Minister in the then Madhu Koda government of the Congress.
In 2013, CBI had filed a charge sheet against Tirkey, but urged the court to close the case as the value of the disproportionate assets unearthed was low Rs 6.28 lakh.
The court had rejected the agency's stand and took cognisance of the offence, starting the trial.
He was arrested on December 12, 2018 in the case and was released after a few months.
Tirkey fought the 2019 state elections as a candidate of Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P) but joined Congress along with Poraiyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav after a split in the party following its merger with BJP.
Tirkey along with Yadav and Marandi are facing proceedings under the anti-defection law.