Bengaluru, Feb 16 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court on Monday set aside the 2023 election of Congress MLA S.N. Subba Reddy to the Legislative Assembly from the Bagepalli Assembly constituency, citing proven irregularities in his election affidavit.

A Bench headed by Justice M.G.S. Kamal passed the order after hearing detailed arguments from both sides and examining reports submitted by the authorities. The court directed that a copy of the order be sent to the Election Commission and the Secretary of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

The petition was filed by defeated BJP candidate C. Muniraju, who had challenged Subba Reddy’s election, alleging that he had won through illegalities. Muniraju contended that the MLA had concealed details of properties and sources of income in his election affidavit and had furnished false information to the Election Commission.

The matter was tried over a period of nearly two years. In his petition, Muniraju sought two reliefs — setting aside Subba Reddy’s election and declaring himself the winner of the Bagepalli seat. The High Court partially allowed the petition by annulling Subba Reddy’s election but declined to declare Muniraju as the returned candidate.

Subba Reddy maintained that the case was politically motivated and alleged that there was a conspiracy against him. Following the verdict, his counsel sought a stay on the order to enable them to approach the Supreme Court in appeal. However, the High Court refused to grant a stay.

Reacting to the judgment, Muniraju said he had approached the court with full faith in the judiciary and described the order as a victory for justice. He stated that the verdict had strengthened public confidence in the judicial system and was the result of effective presentation of arguments before the court.

Apart from the affidavit-related allegations, Muniraju had also referred to accusations that Subba Reddy was allegedly facing in connection with a scam.

–IANS

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