Convicted in admission scam. Congress MP who said Rs 5 was enough for a meal

New Delhi: The Congress's Rajya Sabha member Rasheed Masood is likely to be the first MP to be disqualified under a recent Supreme Court order, after his conviction in a medical admission scam when he was central minister of state for health over two decades ago.

Mr Masood had controversially said in July that Rs 5 could buy a hearty meal in Delhi, a comment meant to counter opposition criticism of the Planning Commission's stand that anyone who has access to Rs 28 a day is not poor.

A special CBI court today held the 66-year-old MP guilty of pushing ineligible candidates in 1990-91 to medical college seats allotted to Tripura from the central pool, depriving more deserving candidates from the northeastern state. Sources say the MP, who faces anything from one to seven years in jail, may plead for probation on grounds of poor health.

Mr Masood, who belongs to Uttar Pradesh, has also been a candidate for Vice President and a member of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making panel.

The Supreme Court had in July ruled that MPs convicted in a case would stand disqualified immediately. Earlier this month, it stood by the order, rejecting the Centre's plea for a review on grounds that it could be misused.

Before this landmark court ruling, convicted MPs could continue in office if they appealed against their conviction within three months.