Maharashtra Congress MLA Sunil Kedar disqualified after conviction in bank scam

Kedar's team is expected to challenge the conviction order of the lower court in the Bombay High Court.

Mumbai: In a significant political development in Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Sunil Kedar was disqualified as an MLA following his conviction and five-year jail term by a Nagpur court in connection with an alleged Rs 150 crore cooperative bank scam that surfaced 21 years ago.

Kedar, a senior leader from the Vidarbha region, is considered close to the Gandhi family. After his conviction, he was taken into custody and is now admitted to a hospital after complaining of uneasiness and chest pain.

On Friday, a special court in Nagpur sentenced Kedar to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 12.5 lakh in connection with the alleged scam involving the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB).

As per the prosecution, the NDCCB, of which Kedar was the chairman, lost Rs 150 crore in government securities in 2002 as rules were flouted while investing funds through Home Trade Securities, an investment firm.

Kedar (62), a five-time MLA from Saoner in Nashik district, hails from an illustrious political family and was a minister in the erstwhile Congress-NCP Democratic Front government.

The development comes as a major jolt to the Maharashtra Congress in the wake of the December 28 foundation day celebrations of the party in Nagpur, in which party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and others will take part.

Kedar is expected to challenge the conviction order in the Bombay High Court.