BBMP elections: High Court green signal to Karnataka Election Commission

Bengaluru: After several twists and turns with respect to holding BBMP elections, the high court on Friday gave its green signal to state election commission while it disposed of a petition seeking to announce calendar of events for the polls. The court disposed the matter after the state election commission (SEC) submitted that it has already issued the calendar of events.

 

Earlier the state government objected in the matter on the ground that the Supreme Court had granted eight weeks time to hold the polls and in such circumstances the PIL seeking directions to issue a new calendar of events was not maintainable. 

 

The state had approached the Supreme Court after the high court directed the SEC to issue the new calendar of events, and later declined to hear it before the SEC issued the notification. The Supreme Court had just deferred the matter. Meanwhile the division bench headed by acting Chief Justice S.K. Mukherjee refused to consider the state’s plea and disposed the matter.

 

The high court on Friday disposed the petition challenging Iftar party organised by the advocate general Prof Ravivarma Kumar at his office. A city based advocate N.P. Amrutesh had questioned holding of Iftar in the AG office on Friday.

 

The court disposed the matter after the additional advocate general A S Ponanna submitted that the Iftar party was not organised by Ravivarma in his capacity as advocate general, but as an individual. 

“He is spending it from his own pocket, not the government money,” he argued.

 

The petitioner had opposed to the Iftar stating that it was a religious function and should not be organised on the high court premises. Holding Iftar party is against constitutional obligations and amounts to misuse of official position, as the party has been organised for the first time it will provide room for public criticism,” the petitioner stated.