The Orissa High Court on Wednesday upheld a trial court order convicting Barabati-Cuttack MLA of outgoing Odisha Assembly, Mohammed Moquim in the Odisha Rural Housing & Development Corporation (ORHDC) corruption case.
It’s pertinent to note here that a special vigilance court had sentenced the lawmaker a three-year rigorous imprisonment term.
“Earlier on 29 September 2022, Moquim, Managing Director, M/s Metro Builders Pvt Ltd along with Vinod Kumar, IAS and others, was convicted by Special Judge Vigilance, Bhubaneswar and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 3 years and to pay fine of Rs 50,000, and in default of payment of fine, to undergo further rigorous imprisonment for a period of 6 months on each count for the offence U/s 120-B/468/471/420 IPC for obtaining pecuniary advantage in favour of M/s Metro Builders Pvt Ltd in the guise of loans meant for rural poor from ORHDC”, the Odisha Vigilance directorate said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The convict Moquim had later moved the High Court challenging the conviction order passed by the Special Judge Vigilance, Bhubaneswar.
With the High Court verdict, Moquim stands disqualified to fight elections given the fact that the People’s Representatives Act debars those who are awarded a two-year or more jail term, to contest polls for six years. Unless he gets relief from the Supreme Court, the lawmaker will stand disqualified to fight the polls.