A. Raja vs. D. Kumar (CIVIL APPEAL – Election Petition)
The Supreme Court has restored the election of MLA A. Raja, whose victory from the reserved Devikulam constituency was cancelled by the Kerala High Court. The High Court had ruled that he was not eligible for the Scheduled Caste seat. The Supreme Court overturned this, establishing a crucial legal principle: the validity of a caste certificate cannot be questioned in an election petition. Such challenges must go through the dedicated state-level Scrutiny Committee. The Court also found that the evidence claiming Raja was a Christian was weak and insufficient to disqualify him.