07 December,2010 07:01 AM IST | | Poornima Swaminathan
Mumbai Congress President Kripashankar Singh stated his qualification as BSC in two election affidavits despite failing in his HSC exams, reveals an RTI
The gods aren*t smiling on Mumbai Congress President Kripashankar Singh.
Already under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Income Tax (I-T) department for alleged money laundering, the MLA from Kalina now stands accused of misleading voters about his educational qualification.
The response to an RTI query has revealed that he stated his qualification as a science graduate (B.Sc) in two election affidavits despite failing his HSC exams.
According to documents in MiD DAY*s possession, Singh claimed to be a graduate in the 1994 and 1999 Maharashtra assembly elections but stated in 2004 that he cleared his SSC examination in 1966, passed HSC in 1969 and studied no further. He claimed to have passed his HSC from Jaihind Inter College in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh.
However, in response to an RTI query by activist Sanjay Tiwari, the principal of Jaihind Inter College stated on November 9, 2010, that, according to the student register and transfer certificate, Singh had failed in his HSC exam.
"Singh has misguided not only the legislature but also the people about his educational qualification. This is a serious offence and it needs to be thoroughly investigated and verified," said Tiwari.
Laundering
Tiwari had also filed a writ petition against Singh for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The ED, I-T department and the ACB are probing corruption charges against him.
The affidavit includes complaints of money laundering against Singh and his family members and has references to his close links with Madhu Koda, the scam-tainted former Jharkhand chief minister.
The Other Side
Repeated attempts to contact KripashankarSingh proved futile. He did not respond to text messages either.