Woman sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and fine for false caste certificate

Haveri: The additional and district sessions court in Haveri has delivered a verdict imposing a penalty of 19,000 rupees along with a 7-year prison sentence on a woman who secured the positions of gram president and member through the submission of a false caste certificate. The convicted individual, Vanahalli Lakshmi Kabbera from Shiggamvi taluk in Haveri district, was found guilty of this offense.

Originally hailing from Gangamata, Vanahalli Lakshmi Kabbera acquired a fraudulent Scheduled Caste Gantichor certificate on June 04, 2015. She fabricated educational certificates and affidavit documents to support her false claims and submitted them at the office of the Shiggavi tehsildar. Using these forged credentials, she contested elections and secured the position of an SC member for Hanumarahalli gram panchayat. She not only assumed the position but also held the chairmanship, which was reserved for the scheduled caste category.

In response to the injustice done to the legitimate scheduled caste individuals and the government, a complaint was lodged with the Shiggamvi police station regarding the fraudulent caste certificate. Investigator TG Sridhara Shastri conducted a thorough investigation into the matter and subsequently presented the charge sheet to the court.

The court's judgment was based on the proven charges against the accused under sections of the IPC , including sections 198, 420, 465, 468, 471, and 3(1) Q SST(PA) amendment Act, 2015. The verdict delivered by Judge G.L. Lakshminarayana, Government prosecutor Saroja G. Koolagimath arguing on behalf of the prosecution during the proceedings