Will EC Disqualify YCP Candidate Thota ?

After 28 years of elongated legal tussle, the current YCP MLA candidate from Mandapeta, Thota Trimurthulu has been convicted in a case involving the harassment of five Dailt youths and tonsuring the heads of two of them. The Vizag SC ST court found Trimurthulu guilty of harassment and forceful head tonsuring and sentenced him to 18 months in prison under one section and another 6 months jail terms and Rs 1.5 lakh penalty under another section.

This happened back in 1994 when the two youngsters allegedly questioned the election rig that was done by Triumrthulu in that year’s assembly elections which anguished him and led to the hateful incident.

Coming to the question of whether the Election Commission can disqualify Thota Trimurthulu from contesting in the coming assembly election in view of this court verdict, there shouldn’t be a legal problem for him. According to the EC regulation, an individual convicted of a crime with a jail sentence of over 2 years is not eligible to contest in the election. In the case of Thota, his jail term is exactly two years so he managed to escape disqualification by the narrowest of margins.

Thota had already applied for bail and the court approved the same. A total of 10 members were accused in the case and all of them managed to secure bail. After 28 years of legal tussle, 146 postponements and relentless fight from the Dalit organizations, the case finally got closure.