The ruling BJP MLA from Anta, Kanwar Lal Meena has been declared disqualified for membership in Rajasthan Assembly following his conviction in a 20-year-old criminal case.

Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani disqualified him as an MLA with retrospective effect from May 2, 2025—the date the Rajasthan High Court delivered its verdict on his appeal—thereby terminating his membership.

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The Speaker’s ruling on disqualification (and subsequent termination) was delivered soon after the receipt of the Rajasthan Advocate General’s opinion in this case. The speaker had sought legal opinion from the AG.

The case against Meena was filed in February 2005 for threatening on gunpoint the then SDM Ram Niwas Mehta (on February 3, 2005) to concede to his demand of re-polling in the election for Deputy Sarpanch in Khatakhedi village near Manohar Thana.

The lower trial court had acquitted Meena in the case. However, the ADJ Aklera in the year 2020 convicted and sentenced him to a 3-year jail term and a cash penalty of Rs 10,000.

Meena filed an appeal before the Rajasthan High Court challenging the ADJ court’s verdict. The High Court dismissed his appeal on May 2, endorsing the punishment awarded by the lower court.

Even the Supreme Court, about a fortnight back, dismissed the MLA’s special leave petition and asked him to surrender before the trial court by May 14. This deadline was later extended by the trial court till May 21.

Accordingly, the convict Meena surrendered before the court on Wednesday. Following this development, the Speaker has also declared Anta’s (193) assembly seat vacant, necessitating a bypoll in due course.