Karnataka HC disposes petition challenging appointment of judge as special court judicial member
Bengaluru (PTI): The High Court of Karnataka on Friday disposed of a petition challenging the appointment of judge C G Hungund as Judicial Member of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court.
The petition challenging the appointment was withdrawn by the petitioner following which the case was disposed of.
The state government had removed Hungund from the post and, therefore, it was not necessary to proceed with the petition, the petitioner said in a memo filed before the court.
"The petitioner in the matter most humbly submits that during the pendency of the writ petition, the government has issued the order removing the fourth respondent from the post of judicial member by its order dated 21.09.2023 and the same has been communicated to the undersigned recently," petitioner Umapathi said in his memo filed before the division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S
Dixit.
The memo further said, "The relief sought in the petition is fulfilled and the matter may be treated as disposed of in the interest of justice and equity."
Placing the memo on record, the HC disposed of the petition.
The PIL filed by advocate Umapathi S challenging the appointment order dated 21.10.2022 claimed that the retired district judge was ineligible for the post. It was claimed that since Hungund had already served as a member of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission between 2012 and 2017, he cannot be appointed to another quasi-judicial forum.
The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice MGS Kamal had issued notice to the government in this regard earlier in August 2023.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
