Accused of submitting fake degree, Assam MLA asked by HC to prove credentials

BJP leader Aminul Haque Laskar has alleged that Sonai MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya declared himself a graduate from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, but this was untrue

Former deputy speaker of Assam assembly Aminul Haque Laskar recently filed a petition in Gauhati high court against Sonai MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya for allegedly producing a fake degree while submitting his nomination papers to contest the assembly polls.

BJP leader Aminul Haque Laskar. (HT Archive)

Now the court has asked Barbhuiya to be present for a hearing on August 4 and produce his documents. Justice Kalyan Rai Surana issued an order on Thursday in this regard.

All India United Democratic Front candidate Barbhuiya defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Aminul Haque Laskar to become an MLA from Sonai constituency in this year’s assembly election. Laskar has alleged that Barbhuiya declared himself a graduate from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, but this was untrue. He claimed that he had filed an RTI in Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, and the reply stated that Barbhuiya never graduated from that university.

Talking to Hindustan Times, Laskar said, “This is not the first time that Barbhuiya has produced fake documents. In the 2016 election, he said he had a diploma in engineering, but he did not mention this while submitting his nomination in the 2021 election. This year he claimed that he graduated in 2019 from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, which is also fake. We informed election officials before polling day but they didn’t scrutinise the issue. Later we decided to knock on the door of honourable high court, and the court has decided to hear the matter. I am sure the court will cancel Barbhuiya’s legislatureship.”

However Barbhuiya called this a political conspiracy. He said, “In an RTI to Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Laskar wanted to know if I have done my graduation through distance education. But I did it from a private college. I think he has got confused a bit. He also lodged a complaint before Election Commission of India (ECI) in the past and demanded the cancellation of my candidature. But the ECI rejected it and allowed me to contest and I won. He has a long list of complaints against me but none of them are true. I have not received the court’s order yet but if they have called me, I will be there with all my documents to prove myself truthful.”