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.
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Jharkhand: 2 killed, 5 injured after being run over by truck
Garhwa/Hazaribag (PTI): Two persons were killed and five others injured after being allegedly run over by a truck in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Thursday evening, police said.
The deceased were standing near a roadside puncture repair shop in Charhi when the accident happened, they said.
The injured persons were admitted to the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital, they added.
"The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained," said a police officer.
In another accident in Garhwa, two men in their mid-20s died after being hit by a speeding tractor, police said.
The accident happened in the Mahuliya panchayat in the Garhwa police station area in the early hours, they said.
"Rahul Chaudhary (26) and Nandlal Ram (26) were standing near their motorcycle on the roadside. A speeding tractor coming from the opposite direction hit them. Rahul died on the spot, while Nandlal succumbed to the injuries while being taken to the Sadar Hospital," said a police officer.
"Immediately after the mishap, the tractor driver abandoned the vehicle and fled. The tractor has been seized, and raids are underway to apprehend the absconding driver," he said.
