Hazy, dusty conditions across Himachal
Shimla, June 15: Himachal Pradesh on Friday remained hazy and dusty with visibility reduced to less than 200 m in the state capital, the weather bureau said, adding the state may experience rain at many places in the next 24 hours which will increase the visibility.
"Dust and haze may prevail till the next 24 hours. The visibility is 100-200 m in Shimla and most parts of the state," Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office here, told IANS.
He said on Sunday, there is high possibility of rain or thunderstorms at many places in the state.
"Gusty wind is also expected. Therefore, this dust and haze very likely to disappear by Saturday," he added.
Lower areas of the state including Una, Bilapsur, Hamirpur Solan, Nahan and Mandi also experienced dusty conditions.
"There are chances of moderate to heavy rainfall in Kangra district by Friday night," the meteorological added.
The minimum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 15.2 degrees Celsius, while the maximum was 25.9 degrees, a fall by nearly two degree Celsius from Thursday.
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Karnataka HC rejects plea challenging election of CM Siddaramaiah from Varuna constituency
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the election of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from Varuna constituency in Mysuru district in 2023 on grounds that the Congress, with five guarantees in its manifesto, was trying to bribe the people of the state.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav passed the judgment on Tuesday afternoon.
The petitioner, K Shankara from Varuna constituency, had alleged that the Congress manifesto was announced with Siddaramaiah’s consent, adding that the guarantees aimed at gratifying the electorate of Varuna constituency in order to induce them to vote for the Congress.
Shankara further alleged that Siddaramaiah’s act amounted to corruption during the polls and urged the High Court to not only declare Siddaramaiah’s election void but also debar him from contesting elections for six years.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Pramila Nesargi, argued that the guarantee schemes discriminated against men, with free trips and financial assistance to women only, and violated the Article 14 of the Constitution, which lays stress on the right to equality. She too called the promises made in the Congress manifesto as ‘bribing the voters’ and asked the HC to cancel his election.
The Court had sought the CM’s response to the plea in July 2023.
Siddaramaiah’s advocate Ravivarma Kumar, who refuted the charges in court, called the petition a ‘copy-paste’ document and added that it was liable for dismissal as there was no evidence of the Congress attempting to lure voters with bribery through its manifesto.
Pointing out that the election of Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad had been challenged on similar grounds but dismissed by the HC in 2024, the CM’s advocate opined that the election of Siddaramaiah too was being challenged with identical pleadings.
