High Court declares Mulbagal Congress candidate's caste certificate void

Kolar: A stun to the Congress after the High Court (HC) has announced the caste certificate given by Congress applicant from Mulbagal constituency in 2013 as void. 

Justice A S Bopanna has conveyed this judgment, which springs new stresses for Congress. Mulbagil constituency was proclaimed a reserved constituency in 2013 and Kothur Manjunath had presented a caste certificate to demonstrate that he belonged to Budga Jangama. Region Tahsildar had rejected the claim and crossed out his authentication. Following that choice, the then independent candidate Manjunath, moved HC in 2013. 

JD(S) leader and former taluk panchayat president Muni Anjanappa and leader Muni Venkatappa had scrutinized the veracity of Manjunath’s caste certificate and raised protests on the standing endorsement at a few stages. 

On 20 April 2018, K Manjunath presented his assignment for the Mulbagal Reserve Constituency looking for re-election. He additionally presented his selection as an independent competitor from Kolar. 

In the interim, Congress party had named former IAS officer Syed Zameer Pasha as the official applicant from Kolar. 

In the changed situation, following the HC decision, MP Muniyappa’s second daughter Nandini might be announced as the official Congress competitor from Mulbagal Reserve Constituency and Kothur Manjunath may supplant Syed Zameer Pasha considering the political clout Manjunath employs among the electorate in the district. Nandini had presented her nomination as an independent candidate from Mulbagal constituency as a reinforcement possibility for Congress. 

Down-pouring worry over the congress, senior supporters Ashok Haranahalli for Kothur Manjunath implied at recording a writ appeal to in the Supreme Court. “HC decision is stunning when the check of selection papers by Election Commission (EC) is in advance”, he noted. 

The single judge seat of HC additionally collected Rs 25000 fine on Manjunath for giving false records.