Former Tamil Nadu minister Balakrishna Reddy Thursday filed a plea in the Madras High Court challenging his conviction and three-year jail term in a two-decade-old riot case.
He was convicted by a special court in the case related to a protest against illicit liquor in Hosur.
Reddy also wanted the court to suspend his sentencing till the disposal of the appeal.
On January 7, Reddy, a former youth welfare and sports minister, was convicted by J Shanthi, a special judge for cases involving MPs and MLAs in the 1998 case.
Besides Reddy, who represents the Hosur constituency in the assembly, the court sentenced 15 other accused in the case to three years rigorous imprisonment.
Reddy faces disqualification as an MLA in view of the conviction unless it is stayed by a higher court.
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Under Section 8(3) of the RPA, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified for that period and a further six years after release.
According to the prosecution, during the demonstration held by the locals in Hosur in Krishnagiri district, about 300 km from here, the protesters allegedly went on a rampage and clashed with police, damaging several vehicles.
Three policemen were grievously injured, five buses were destroyed in stone-pelting and a police vehicle and a bike were burnt in the violence.
Subsequently, an FIR was registered against 108 people, including Reddy, for various Indian Penal Code (IPC) offences and under the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act.
The IPC offences included rioting and wrongful restraint