Rasheed Masood disqualified from Rajya Sabha

Congress leader Rasheed Masood was Monday disqualified from the Rajya Sabha, following his conviction in a corruption case.

Masood, 66, is the first member of parliament to be disqualified after the Supreme Court, in a verdict given July 10, mandated immediate disqualification of lawmakers convicted for criminal offences punishable with a jail term of more than two years.

Masood was sentenced to four years in jail by a Delhi court in a corruption case Sep 19.

His disqualification will be valid from the date of his verdict, said an official of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

The official added the notification formally announcing a vacancy in the Rajya Sabha was issued by the house's secretary general Shumsher K. Sheriff and a copy of the notification has been sent to the Election Commission for necessary action.

Lok Sabha members Lalu Prasad, and Jagdish Sharma, who were convicted in the fodder scam recently, are yet to be disqualified from the Lok Sabha.