Muniyappa, a former vice chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC), was appointed chairman on Sunday, following a comfortable electoral victory. Member Motakapalli Kashinath, a native of Gulbarga was appointed vice chairman.
Muniyappa and Kashinath both secured 19 votes each of the total 26 votes in the election. Their main opponents, Thimmegowda and Subhash K, managed to get only six votes each. Muniyappa, a native of Bangalore , was vice chairman in the 2008-09 term. Advocate General Vijay Shankar, also a member of the Bar Council, was unable to cast his vote, as it was reported that there was a death in his family.
The election is significant in the backdrop of controversies surrounding former KSBC chairman Anand Kumar Appu Magdum. The elections were scheduled following the resignations of Magdum and vice chairman L Srinivasa Babu. Magdum was unseated following a ‘no confidence’ motion against him.
The prime reason for Magdum’s unpopularity is believed to be his poor English language skills. Another reason is believed to be his non-availability and delay in taking decisions during crises. However, even after the no confidence motion, Magdum had refused to vacate the chairman’s seat till he recently resigned along with Babu, upon completing the one- year term. C R Gopalaswamy, Bangalore-based KSBC member, was appointed as chairman of the Enrolment Committee and Sandhya Mudinur Basavaraj, a member from Koppal district, was appointed chairman of the Law Academy.
