“Election invalid”: Karnataka HC nullifies Bagepalli Congress MLA SN Subbaareddy’s election
Bengaluru: In a major blow to Congress MLA Subbareddy, the Karnataka High Court on Monday nullified the election of the Bagepalli MLA on grounds of election malpractice during the 2023 assembly polls.
A single-judge bench headed by Justice M.G.S. Kamal partially allowed the petition filed by the defeated BJP candidate C. Muniraju, which sought to nullify Subbareddy’s election and declare Muniraju the winning candidate. However, the bench refused to declare Muniraju as the winner.
The court has directed the registrar to forward a copy of the judgment to the Election Commission and the Assembly Secretary. The detailed judgment is yet to be released.
Immediately after the order, Subbareddy’s lawyer stated that an appeal would be filed in the Supreme Court against the High Court order and requested a stay on the judgment until the appeal is heard.
The petitioner’s lawyer opposed this request, and after hearing the arguments, the bench refused to grant a stay.
In the results of the 2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections for 224 constituencies declared on May 13, S.N. Subbareddy, contesting on a Congress ticket from Bagepalli in Chikaballapura, won by securing 82,128 votes. His nearest rival, BJP candidate C. Muniraju, received 62,949 votes, losing by a margin of 19,179 votes.
Following this, BJP candidate C. Muniraju filed an election dispute petition in the High Court on June 24, 2023, challenging Subbareddy’s victory. The Returning Officer had declared Subbareddy elected as the MLA from Bagepalli.
Subbareddy had filed his nomination on April 20, 2023, submitting an affidavit that should have included detailed information on the assets and liabilities of his wife and dependents, including investments in bonds, shares, debentures, companies, mutual funds, and personal loans.
However, Subbareddy allegedly failed to disclose several details in his affidavit, providing incomplete and false information.
This omission was considered to fall under electoral malpractice, prompting Muniraju to request that he, as the runner-up, be declared the winning candidate. Subbareddy opposed this request, seeking dismissal of the application.
The High Court has now partially upheld Muniraju’s petition, declaring Subbareddy’s election invalid while refusing to declare Muniraju the winner.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
