Karnataka HC.
Credit: PTI Photo
The High Court has said that the government has to initiate and ensure action against G Manjunatha, former MLA from Mulbagal, for contesting the 2013 elections on a false caste certificate.
The court said this while upholding the finding of the District Caste Verification Committee (DCVC) that Manjunatha doesn't belong to the Budaga Jangama caste.
"It is a clear case that the petitioner (Manjunatha) contested election on a caste certificate, which was on the face of it false and became a lawmaker even, by stealing away a constituency that was meant to a person genuinely belonging to a scheduled caste. It is this act that fringes on the borders of fraud on Constitution. Therefore, action against the petitioner must ensue, which I leave it open to the State to initiate, bearing in mind the observations made in the order, in accordance with law," Justice M Nagaprasanna said.
Manjunatha had won the election based on the caste certificate issued by tahsildar on April 3, 2012, depicting him to be belonging to Budaga Jangama, a scheduled caste.