Rajya Sabha Member Rasheed Masood(INC) jailed, faces disqualification Tuesday Oct 1,2013

Rajya Sabha Member from Uttar Pradesh Rasheed Masood of the Congress was on Tuesday Oct 1,2013 sentenced to four years in jail for fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates from across the country to MBBS seats in 1990-91, making him the first to stand disqualified

Special CBI Court Judge J.P.S. Malik held Masood guilty on charges of corruption and other offences. 

Rasheed Masood was found guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and under Indian Penal Code Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery). 

RasheedMasood was convicted of fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates from across the country to the MBBS seats allotted to Tripura medical colleges from the central pool. 

Rasheed Masood, who was immediately taken into custody after the sentencing, will also lose the right to contest polls for the next 10 years since a convicted leader cannot fight elections for six years from the date of release from their prison. 

Rasheed Masood faces immediate disqualification as the Rajya Sabha member under the July 10,2013 Supreme Court ruling that a Member of Parliament and State legislatures stands disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more and under some other laws even without jail sentence.