The Supreme Court on Monday formally sought a response from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding a petition challenging the validity of his election from the Varuna assembly constituency during the 2023 state polls.
A Supreme Court division bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, heard the matter and issued a notice to the senior Congress leader. The court’s direction comes in response to an appeal filed by K Shankara, a private individual who has moved the apex court seeking to declare Siddaramaiah’s election void.
“Issue notice,” the bench stated briefly during the proceedings, initiating the legal process that requires the Chief Minister to file his reply to the allegations raised in the plea.
The petitioner, K Shankara, has anchored his challenge on serious allegations regarding the conduct of the election. Specifically, the plea claims that Siddaramaiah indulged in “corrupt practice” as defined under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The petition argues that these alleged statutory violations are sufficient grounds to nullify the Chief Minister’s victory in the Varuna constituency.
The case reached the Supreme Court after the Karnataka High Court declined to entertain the petitioner’s initial bid. On April 22, the High Court dismissed Shankara’s election petition, which sought the disqualification of Siddaramaiah. Aggrieved by the High Court’s refusal to invalidate the election results, Shankara approached the top court, leading to the issuance of the notice on Monday.
The matter is now set for further deliberation once the respondent files his counter-affidavit.
