Kasaragod: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and Manjeshwaram MLA A K M Ashraf was sentenced to one-year imprisonment by a Kerala court on Tuesday in an over-a-decade-old criminal case.
At the time of the incident, Ashraf was a member of the district panchayat. This verdict pertains to a case dating back to January 2010, where Ashraf was involved in manhandling a Tehsildar over adding names to the electoral voter list.
The Kasargod judicial first class magistrate court sentenced A K M Ashraf to one-year imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. The punishment is in the case of assaulting the deputy Tehsildar over adding names to the voters' list.
On November 25, 2010, deputy Tehsildar A Damodaran, who had rejected the application of Munavur Ismail of Mysuru, a resident of Bankara Manjeswaram, when the application for including names was examined in the Manjeswaram block panchayat office, was manhandled by Ashraf. The application was rejected on the ground that there was no record of the release of the electoral roll from Mysuru.
The tehsildar, however, informed Ismail that he would get a chance to add the name if the relevant document is produced. Damodaran alleged that 35 people including AKM Ashraf, a member of the district panchayat then, Abdullah Kaja and Bashir Kanila, panchayat members at that time, pushed him from the chair and beat him. Manjeswaram police registered the case.
After today's verdict, The Manjeswaram MLA said that it is a case without witnesses and will appeal against the verdict.
