Manipur High Court declares Erabot as MLA, Henry election null and void

Imphal: High Court of Manipur has announced Yumkham Erabot Singh as MLA of 15-Wangkhei Assembly Constituency declaring that the election of Henry Okram as member of 15- Wangkhei Assembly Constituency in the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly as null and void.

The judgement was made on Thursday. A single bench of the High Court of Manipur Justice MV Muralidaran made the announcement.

Henry submitted “false affidavit” to the Election Commission, the High Court ruled.
Following the HC ruling Erabot Singh called upon Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Yunmnam Khemchand.

Erabot contested in the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly Election on BJP ticket while Henry contested on Congress ticket. The election was held on March 4, 2017.
In the election declared on March 11, 2017, Okram Henry Singh got 16, 753 votes while Erabot followed with 12, 417 votes.
Henry resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP. He was made social welfare minister during the cabinet reshuffle of the Biren-led government in September 2020.

Henry provided different educational qualifications during the submission of nomination papers in 2012 and 2017 assembly election. In 2012 he submitted that his highest educational qualification as BA from Punjab University and in 2017 he furnished his qualification as Class XII passed from Manipur Public School, CBSE.

Henry deliberately misrepresented his educational qualification thereby creating a confusion upon the mind of the innocent voters with regard to his educational qualification, Erabot said in his petition.
The petitioner had also moved to the court stating that Henry was associated with a pending criminal case and a drug case, which he failed to furnish full details in the affidavit.
This was the second time to disqualify a Congress MLA for furnishing incorrect information in the affidavit filed during election process. Caongress MLA Y. Surchandra was disqualified and BJP candidate M. Rameshwar, who got the second position in the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly Election was declared winner in November last year.