The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday ordered issue of a notice to the State government on a petition seeking a declaration that MLAs K. Venkatesh and M.T.B. Nagaraj have no right to hold the posts of the Chairman of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore International Airport Area Planning Authority (BIAPA), respectively.
Justice A.S. Bopanna passed the order on a petition filed by V. Shashidhar and adjourned further hearing to January 16. The petition has also questioned the December 13, 2017 endorsement given by the office of the Governor rejecting the petitioner’s request to grant sanction for prosecuting the two MLAs for violation of the office-of-profit law.
The petitioner claimed that both MLAs were drawing salaries as legislators separately, and their appointment to the posts, which are equivalent to that of cabinet minister, is violation of the office-of-profit law. The petitioner has termed their appointment as illegal while alleging that they do not hail from the areas which the two bodies are expected to plan for.
