Hyderabad: The High Court on Monday ordered former minister Shatruchala Vijayarama Raju to return all the emoluments including salary, perks and other monetary benefits he received as MLA to the State government. After a prolonged court battle, Vijayarama Raju lost in High Court and Supreme Court over a petition challenging his status as ST.

Nimmaka Jaya Raju moved court challenging that Vijayarama Raju is a Kshatriya by caste, but not ST. The petitioner requested the court to disqualify Raju contesting from a constituency reserved for ST.

Raju was MLA from Naguru, which was a ST constituency in Srikakulam district during 1999-2004. After reorganization of Assembly constituencies in 2004, Naguru disappeared from the list.

Raju lost in recent elections in Patapatnam constituency in Srikakulam district to YSRCP candidate Ramana Murthy.

Meanwhile, another petition was filed in the court questioning the eligibility to receive salary and other perks as MLA, when Raju was not eligible to contest from a ST constituency. Considering this petition, the High Court has ruled that public representatives, who contest on false information, should return entire salary and other perks if proven guilty.

Several petitions keep filing in various courts across the country challenging social status of public representatives.