Tue Apr 01 17:03:36 UTC 2025: ## Indian Politician’s Honorary Consulate Appointment Leads to Disqualification
**Chennai, April 1, 2025** – A Madras High Court ruling has upheld the disqualification of K.S. Haja Shereff, a Congress MLA, from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. The court ruled that Shereff’s acceptance of the position of Honorary Consul-General of Turkey violated Article 191(1)(d) of the Indian Constitution, which prohibits legislators from holding allegiance to a foreign state.
Shereff was appointed to the honorary position in August 1980, after being elected as an MLA in May of the same year. The court found that while the Indian government approved the appointment, it did so unaware of Shereff’s legislative position. Furthermore, the court deemed the Indian government’s approval irrelevant, as the initial proposal predated Shereff’s election.
The court rejected Shereff’s argument that his role was limited to notarial functions. They cited the appointment’s guidelines, which detailed responsibilities including representing Turkish interests and participating in official Turkish events, such as raising the Turkish flag and playing the national anthem. The court emphasized that these actions constituted allegiance to a foreign state, regardless of the scope of his duties.
A letter from the Turkish Embassy, submitted by Shereff’s defense, suggesting that the appointment did not constitute allegiance to Turkey, was dismissed by the court as self-serving and produced only after petitions challenging his eligibility were filed. The court ultimately sided with the petitioners, affirming Shereff’s disqualification.
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