Court sets aside order against Union MoS Ram Shankar Katheria

A sessions court on Wednesday set aside the 2011 order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate which held present Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Ram Shankar Katheria guilty of furnishing fake mark sheets and caste certificates for his 2009 Lok Sabha polls candidature.

Assistant District Judge (First) Hasnain Qureishi set aside the CJM's May 24, 2011 order, accepting a revision petition by Katheria saying that there was no legal basis for the CJM's May 24, 2011 holding Katheria guilty of furnishing fake mark sheets and caste certificates and hence the impugned order was being set aside. The 2011 order of the CJM was issued following a case filed by his BSP adversary Kunwar Chand in Hariparbat Police station of Agra stating that Katheria had furnished fake mark sheets and caste certificate.

The police sent the charge sheet to the court of the CJM. At this, Katheria approached the Allahabad High Court, seeking cancellation of the chargesheet. The HC asked him to present his case before the court of the CJM, which did not accept his argument that the then Circle Officer of Hariparbat and the Registrar of Kanpur University had rejected the allegations, and issued the May 24 order against him.