A recent Right to Information (RTI) inquiry has revealed that Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a Lok Sabha candidate from the National Conference (NC) dor Srinagar Lok Sabha Constituency, may likely face disqualification and potential legal consequences due to alleged manipulation of his birth year on official documents.
According to the RTI filed with the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Srinagar, a copy of which lies with Kashmir News Service (KNS), Aga Ruhullah Mehdi was born on August 11, 1982, at Gupkar Nursing Home. However, since his first election in 2002, all of his election affidavits have stated his year of birth as 1977.
Sources told KNS that the discrepancy has raised concerns, especially considering a previous legal case in 2002 where his uncle, Aga Syed Mehmood, accused him of altering his birth year. Despite the case being dismissed at the time due to lack of conclusive evidence, the recent RTI findings have reignited scrutiny over the matter, they said.
Sources also said that Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s passport also lists his year of birth as 1982, contradicting the information provided in his election affidavits. It is alleged that his birth year was manipulated in 2002, possibly to enable him to contest elections at a younger age, they added.
They further said that the potential consequences for Aga Ruhullah Mehdi include retrospective disqualification from previous terms as an MLA and possible jail time as per Section 125-A of the Representation of People’s Act. If convicted, he could also face a bar from contesting elections for up to 15 years and may be required to reimburse all previous remuneration received as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
The NC leadership has reportedly nominated Salman Ali Sagar, the son of its General Secretary, as a backup candidate for Aga Ruhullah Mehdi in light of these developments, they added.
