THE Chhattisgarh High Court has upheld the dismissal of Mohammed Salman, who was elected as Corporator from Ward 35 (Sharda Para) of Bhilai Municipal Corporation. A Division Bench dismissed his writ appeal against the earlier single-judge order, refusing to interfere with the decision. The case relates to allegations that Salman contested the 2021 municipal election using a false caste certificate. Ward 35 was reserved for the Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Salman contested the election claiming to belong to the Kunjda community. He was elected and issued an election certificate on December 23, 2021. Complaints were later raised regarding his caste and social status certificate. An inquiry by the Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue), Durg, found serious discrepancies.

 

The inquiry found that the revenue case number mentioned in the certificate was actually related to another person. Durg Divisional Commissioner ordered Salman’s removal from the corporator post on May 6, 2024. His appeal against the order was rejected on September 4, 2024. Salman then approached the High Court, but a single judge dismissed his petition on August 3, 2026. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal held that the Divisional Commissioner had acted within his jurisdiction in examining the corporator’s eligibility and disqualification. The Bench also found no error in the single-judge order and dismissed Salman’s writ appeal, thereby upholding his dismissal.