Thiruvananthapuram: Controversial Congress MLA Sobhana George, an accused in the "fake intelligence document case", was on December 3 removed from the primary membership of the party for five years.

The decision was taken by the disciplinary action committee (DAC) of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee which found that Sobhana had committed "severe breach of party discipline" by lashing out at Chief Minister A K Antony before the media in September.

The DAC, headed by former KPCC president C V Padmarajan, however, refrained from going into the charges against Sobhana on her alleged role in the conspiracy behind forgery of a fake police intelligence document which sought to link state Tourism Minister K V Thomas with a hawala racket, since the matter was sub judice.

Briefing reporters on the DAC decision, Padmarajan said forfeiture of primary membership meant that she would cease to be a member of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).

The DAC, however, decided not to press the provision in the party constitution which empowers it to ask the person facing disciplinary action to demit elected offices.

The DAC decision will have retrospective effect from October 6, when the matter was referred to it by the KPCC executive which had delegated powers to the panel to take action on the matter. Shobhana, however, can go in appeal to the CWC seeking reversal of the Pradesh level DAC decision, Padmarajan said.

PTI