Karnataka High Court Rejects Plea Challenging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Election from Varuna

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition contesting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s election victory from the Varuna constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections.

Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav, presiding as a single-judge bench, rejected the plea filed by K M Shankara, a voter from Varuna, who accused Siddaramaiah of engaging in electoral malpractices. A detailed judgment is awaited.

Background of the Case

The petitioner claimed that the Congress party’s pre-election promises amounted to corrupt practices under the Representation of People Act. The party’s manifesto included five key assurances to Karnataka’s citizens:

• Gruha Jyothi: 200 units of free electricity for households.

• Gruha Lakshmi: ₹2,000 monthly aid to every woman heading a family.

• Anna Bhagya: 10 kilograms of food grains per month for every Below Poverty Line (BPL) family member.

• Yuva Nidhi: Monthly assistance of ₹3,000 for unemployed graduates and ₹1,500 for unemployed diploma holders for two years.

• Uchita Prayana/Shakti: Free bus travel for women across the state on KSRTC/BMTC buses.

Shankara argued that offering such "freebies" amounted to bribery and undue influence, prohibited under Section 123(2) of the Act. According to him, these promises were designed to gratify and sway the electorate of Varuna, thereby unfairly influencing their votes in favor of Siddaramaiah.

Arguments Presented

Senior Advocate Pramila Nesargi, representing the petitioner, contended that schemes like the Shakti free bus travel violated Article 14 of the Constitution by discriminating against men. Nesargi further argued that prior High Court judgments (such as B Lakshmidevi and Rizwan Arshad and Shashanka J Sreedhara and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan) which had held that promises in manifestos did not amount to corrupt practices, were not applicable to this case.

The petitioner emphasized that Siddaramaiah personally endorsed the guarantees and sought votes based on these promises, thereby acting both as a candidate and as an agent of the promises made. Counsel asserted that the entire election in Karnataka should be declared void, and Siddaramaiah should be barred from contesting elections for six years, citing violations of State policy directives.

Case Details

• Title: K V Shankara vs Siddaramaiah

• Case No.: EP 13/2023

• Counsel for Petitioner: Senior Advocate Pramila Nesargi

• Counsel for Respondents: Senior Counsel Prof. Ravi Varma Kumar, Advocates Leela P Devadiga, Samrudh Suraj Hegde, and Shathabish Shivanna

• Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Kar) 149