CM Siddaramaiah tells Karnataka High Court that petition challenging his election was 'copy-pasted'

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday told the Karnataka High Court that the petition challenging his 2023 election from the Varuna constituency was a work of "copy-paste" and liable to be dismissed on that ground alone [K Shankara v. Siddaramiah]. .The submission was made today before Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav by Siddaramaiah's counsel, Senior Advocate Ravivarma Kumar.Kumar has alleged that there were at least three identically worded election petitions before various benches of the High Court. "The most disturbing aspect of this case is recently, a coordinate bench of this Court in B Lakshmidevi's case, an election petition was rejected for want of cause of action in an identical situation. To our shock, we found that my election petition is the same as the election petition against this one...Cut and paste, paragraph by paragraph! So it is easy for me to apply this as binding precedent. But I am appealing to the Court to take judicial notice of this fact that there has been mass copying of election petitions...At least three I have identified. The first was before Kalburgi Bench. Same averments, not a comma or full stop changed in petition," Kumar submitted. .The petitioner challenging Siddaramiah's election had contended that the five election guarantees made in the Indian National Congress (INC) party's manifesto for the State polls in 2023 amounted to bribery and a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act.Notably, a challenge to the 2023 election of Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Rizwan Arshad from Shivajinagar on similar grounds was dismissed by Justice S Vishwajith Shetty of the Karnataka High Court on March 26 this year..Kumar has now contended that the petition challenging the Chief Minister's election has also been filed with identical pleadings.The petitioner should, therefore, be prosecuted for being part of such "mass copying" of election petitions, Kumar argued."Please summon the records of these election petitions. I have been able to compile paras. On that short ground, this is an abuse of the process. When an election petition is filed without due application of mind, without reference to candidate, to my election - the petitioner has to be visited with grave (consequences)...Will it not be an offence to prosecute - for swearing a false affidavit?" Kumar contended..The senior counsel added that in light of the verdict in Lakshmidevi's case, the present petition against Siddaramaiah is also liable to be dismissed. However, he urged the Court to take a serious view of the larger issue of "mass-copying" of election petitions."Whether election petitions can be filed, cut and paste, copying other election petitions? I have to admit, we were not aware of it before, till the judgment came in Lakshmidevi's case. That is when we verified the pleadings and to our shock, we discovered that this is a mass copying of other election petitions," Kumar said..Justice Yadav requested that Kumar himself submit the relevant election case records to support his allegations of mass copying, instead of having the Court formally call for those records.The judge pointed out that any summons issued by the Court may stall proceedings before other benches.Kumar agreed to do the same.The matter is slated to be heard again next Wednesday..[Read live coverage of hearing today]