The High Court of Karnataka on Friday ordered the issue of notice to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on a petition which has questioned his election from the Varuna Assembly constituency on the ground that he had indulged in corrupt practice by inducing voters through “bribe” offered in the form of five guarantee schemes through the Congress election manifesto and guarantee cards.
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Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav passed the order on an election petition filed by K.M. Shankara, a voter from the constituency in Mysuru district. Further hearing on the petition has been adjourned till September 1.
The petitioner had sought a direction from the court to declare the election of Mr. Siddaramaiah as void alleging that the leader had allegedly indulged in corrupt practices as defined under Section 123(1), 123(2), 123(4) and 123(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The manner in which the canvas was done by distributing the election manifesto of the Indian National Congress and the guarantee cards in the constituency amounted to directly inducing the voters, it has been claimed in the petition.
As a candidate is officially nominated by a political party through the procedure prescribed in law, the promises made by way of the manifesto of the political party are directly attributable to the candidate set up by that party, and hence the corrupt practice of inducting voters through guarantee scheme is attributable to Mr. Siddaramaiah as well as other candidates of the party and its leaders under the law, it has been contended in the petition.