Karnataka CM's Political Secretary accused of obtaining fake SC certificate

Chaos ensued at the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday when a heated debate broke out between Congress officials and M.P. Renukacharya, after the latter was accused of obtaining a fake ST community certificate for his daughter to reap government benefits.

Published on: Mar 24, 2022, 18:21:13 IST

By Yamini C S

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Congress members in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday demanded action against BJP Legislator and Chief Minister’s Political Secretary M.P. Renukacharya for allegedly obtaining a Scheduled Tribe certificate for his daughter.

MP Renukacharya, the political secretary of the chief minister, was accused of obtaining fake ST certificate for his daughter on Wednesday. (HT) (HT_PRINT)

The MLA's family belongs to the Lingayat community.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah fired at the MLA, saying that obtaining an ST certificate by misrepresentation was an offence and a punishable act under the law, for which Mr. Renukacharya can be prosecuted.

Mr. Renukacharya is accused of obtaining a false ST certificate in the name of ‘Beda Jangama’ community.

It is being alleged that Mr. Renukacharya obtained the false community certificate for his daughter by misguiding officials in his Honnali taluk by providing wrong facts.

The House saw a heated debate between Mr. Renukacharya and Congress members on Wednesday when the former said he had not availed any ST certificate or government benefits.

BJP leaders including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Law and Parliamentary Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said any member of the House would be punished if he committed any mistake under the law.

“Mr. Renukacharya is a member of the House. The member would be punished if he committed any mistake under the law,” Bommai said.

J.C. Madhuswamy also told Congress members to file a complaint to initiate a probe against Mr. Renukacharya. “The Government has no intention to protect anyone who commits mistakes under the law,” he added.

The Honnali MLA however said that his estranged brother had procured the SC certificate for his daughter.

“I have already asked for it to be returned. My brother and I have fallen out 25 years ago,” he said. He added that when he found out that his brother had arranged for a fake community certificate to contest from Gulbarga, an SC reserve, he had objected and cut ties with him.

He further said that he asked his daughter to immediately surrender the certificate. "If there is any evidence that I have procured any such certificate or that I have availed any facility meant for the SC community, let them release the documents. If I have used it, I am ready to be hanged," Renukacharya said emotionally.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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