AGENCIES

The Uttarakhand High Court has directed an administrative panel examining the authenticity of BJP MLA from Jhabreda, Deshraj Karnawal’s caste certificate to complete its probe by August 31.

Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Alok Verma issued the order while hearing a petition terming the legislator’s caste certificate as fake and seeking cancellation of his election from the reserved seat on that ground.

The petition claims that Karnawal does not belong to the scheduled caste, and hence was not eligible to contest from Jhabreda, a reserved assembly constituency in Haridwar district.

The plea was filed by Haridwar resident Vipin Tomar. Karnawal who had won the seat in 2017, said that a lie is being spread about his caste identity by his political adversaries.