Karnataka High Court says no to government plea: Friday D-day for BBMP polls

BENGALURU: In a major setback to the state government a day after the B.S. Patil report was aired on the restructuring of the BBMP, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday declined to consider its plea seeking an early hearing of a PIL on holding the BBMP polls.

The government rushed with its plea, after the court on Monday ordered the State Election Commission to announce by Friday, the fresh calendar of events for the local body polls.

The advocate for the government appealed before the court that the plea should be heard before the SEC issued the new calendar of events as the Supreme Court had given the state government eight weeks to hold the polls.

But the division bench, headed by acting Chief Justice S.K. Mukherjee, declined the prayer and said that it could hear the plea on Friday after the SEC files its report on announcing the calendar of events.