The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the election of Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate A Raja from Kerala’s Devikulam constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections, Live Law reported.

In doing so, the court overturned a 2023 Kerala High Court judgement declaring Raja’s election as void

A Bench of Justices AS Oka and Ahsanuddin Amanullah held that Raja was entitled to all benefits as a legislator and set aside the petition filed by his rival candidate D Kumar.

Kumar, a Congress candidate, had alleged that Raja was not qualified to contest from the Devikulam seat in the state’s Idukki district as it was reserved for the Scheduled Caste community. Raja’s Christian identity made him ineligible to contest from the seat reserved for Hindus, Kumar claimed.

In 2023, the High Court ruled that Raja was “professing Christianity at the time when he had submitted his nomination and converted to Christianity long before its submission”, Live Law reported.

“As such, after the conversion, he cannot claim as a member of Hindu religion,” the court remarked after considering photographs of Raja’s wedding, and the family and baptism registers of the Church of South India in Kundala.

Raja then approached the Supreme Court, arguing that he belonged to the Hindu Parayan community – a Scheduled Caste in Tamil Nadu – and had a caste certificate issued by a tahsildar, PTI reported.

The legislator also said that his parents had never converted to Christianity. He rejected claims that his wife was Christian and said they had married according to Hindu rituals.

In April 2023, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s order and allowed Raja to participate in the Legislative Assembly. However, he was barred from voting on any motion in the House or receiving any allowances as a legislator, Live Law reported.

In September, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement in the matter. During the proceedings, the top court had questioned how the High Court annulled Raja’s election without verifying the validity of his caste certificate.