A petition seeking the disqualification of Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh has been referred to the Election Commission by President A P J Abdul Kalam.
The petition, filed by Rashtriya Mukti Morcha through its president Ravinder Kumar, was referred by the President to the EC last week, Commission sources said.
The petition alleged that Ramesh was holding an Office of Profit by being a member of the National Advisory Council and hence should be disqualified.
The petition was 'under process' to ascertain whether Ramesh occupied the NAC post after he became a Rajya Sabha member, sources said.
Ramesh becomes the fifth minister in the Manmohan Singh government against whom petitions have been pending with the EC seeking disqualification for allegedly holding offices of profit. The other Union ministers are Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, Meira Kumar and T Subbirami Reddy.