Bengaluru: The High Court has given the go-ahead to the Bangalore Hotel Association to serve food for free to customers who visit the member-restaurants after casting their votes in the Lok Sabha elections in the city.
The single-judge bench of the High Court, consisting of Justice M Nagaprasanna, heard the case on Wednesday and gave a judgement in favour of the Association.
The Association, which has come up with the offer in coordination with Hotel Nisarga Grand, had clarified earlier that it was offering free food to customers in order to promote voting and help Bengaluru record a high voter turnout. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), however, had challenged in court the Association's application seeking permission to give free food to customers who have voted.
The advocate representing the Association during the hearing on Wednesday told the High Court that the offer was not made to customers with an intention of political gain but only aimed at promoting voter turnout on the day of polling. "The Association has given free food to the voters after polling and requests the High Court to permit it to do so this year too," the lawyer asked the bench.
Justice Nagaprasanna, who heard the arguments presented by both parties, opined that the efforts of the Association at ensuring a high voter turnout were laudable. He passed a judgement permitting hotel owners who were members of the Association to provide voters food for free after they cast their ballots.
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Mumbai: Nana Patole has stepped down as the President of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, days after the party faced a severe defeat in the state assembly elections.
The party’s poor performance in the elections had raised concerns about its leadership and strategy in the state.
The Congress, which contested 101 seats as part of the MVA, posted its worst-ever defeat by managing to win only 16 seats.