HC dismisses pleas against D'gere MP

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday dismissed two election petitions seeking disqualification of Davangere Lok Sabha member G M Siddeshwara.

  The petitioners had contended that Siddeshwara was holding a contract with the Central government on the day of filing his nominations. They had sought his disqualification under Section 9A of Representation of the People Act, 1951, which says that a person will be disqualified if he has entered into a contract with the government. Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri dismissed the petition observing that the letter of contract was just a recommendation letter.
    In another case, the High Court quashed Chamarajanagar deputy commissioner's orders, in a petition which contended that the DC was encouraging untouchability and caste-based exclusion and discrimination.

The DC had issued orders to distribute food grains to 282 families in a mobile vehicle and permitted to open a separate fair price shop.  Justice A S Bopanna quashing both the orders directed the DC to not divide people on the basis of their caste. 

The petitioner, Narayan, owner and licence-holder of a fair price shop contended that since he belonged to a Scheduled Caste, the upper caste families in Kandahalli in Yelandur taluk of Chamarajanagar district were not purchasing grains and essential commodities from his shop.

As these 282 families were not buying food grains from the fair price shop, the DC had issued order to distribute food grain through mobile shops. 

The petitioner had contended that a circular issued by the State government restricts grant of licence to set up a fair price shop without a minimum of 800 BPL ration cards and the order of the DC violated this circular. He had also claimed that it was a clear violation of Article 17 of the Constitution and The Untouchability (Offences) Act, 1955.