The Madhya Pradesh high court on Monday upheld an election tribunal's order setting aside Kamala Jaan's election as the country's first eunuch mayor from a seat reserved for women.

Kamala Jaan had won the mayoral election defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party's Alka Jain and others.

Soon after the election, Sadiq Ali and four others challenged its validity before an election tribunal in Katni, presided over by Additional District Judge Virendra Singh.

In his order on August 29, 2002, Singh had invalidated the election.

Following this, Kamala Jaan took the matter to court. On October 17 last year, Justice S P Khare had admitted Kamala's civil revision petition and granted an interim stay on the implementation of the tribunal's order.

However on Monday, Justice Khare, in his order, held that Kamala Jaan is a 'male' and was not entitled to contest the mayoral election in the Katni Municipal Corporation as the seat was reserved for women candidates.