Plea against Minister dismissed

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking to initiate criminal procedures against Minister K B Ganesh Kumar for filing false affidavit with regard to qualification in the nomination for Assembly election.Justice Antony Dominic dismissed the petition as petitioner Advocate P Bhuvanan Chandra Babu withdrew it.The petition was withdrawn when counsel for Chief Electoral Officer Advocate Murali Purushothaman submitted that the returning officer of the constituency was the authority to initiate prosecution action in such matters under 195 of the CrPC, and the petition was unsustainable.The petitioner alleged that Ganesh Kumar in an affidavit filed along with his nomination for Assembly election in 2006 stated that he obtained B.Com degree in the year 1988 from Kerala University.In the 2011 Assembly election, he submitted that he only completed B.Com, which means Ganesh Kumar did not possess the degree, the petitioner argued.