The Karnataka High Court on Friday quashed the postponement of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) elections from November 30 to December 30. [Karnataka State Cricket Association v. Electoral Officer & Ors.].Justice Suraj Govindaraj, with the consent of all parties, also appointed retired High Court judge Justice Subhash Adi as a Supervisory Authority for the election."In view of the consensus recorded above, the election to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) shall be conducted by the Electoral Officer under the supervision of Hon Shri Justice Subhash Adi, former Judge of this Court, who is hereby appointed as the Supervisory Authority for the said election. The Supervisory Authority shall be empowered to issue such directions to the Electoral Officer as may be necessary to ensure that the election is conducted in a fair, transparent, and orderly manner," the Court said in its order. .The Court observed that there was already a planned schedule in place for the election process and that any further delay could adversely impact players, including their ability to form teams and participate in tournaments.It, therefore, issued a revised calendar of events, extending the scrutiny, withdrawal, and publication timelines, and fixed December 7 as the date for the KSCA elections.The revised schedule issued by the Court is as follows:The scrutiny of nominations originally fixed for November 17 will now be conducted on November 24 between 11 AM and 3 PM, with the results to be published the same day.The deadline for withdrawal of candidature has been extended to November 26 before 3 PM and the final list of eligible candidates will be announced by 5 PM on November 26.While the nominations already filed remain unchanged, the Court fixed December 7 as the new election date, with polling to be held from 11 AM to 7 PM, followed by the declaration of results..The Court reminded the parties that cricket is a gentleman's game and expressed its hope that the election process will also be carried out in a manner that befits the game's status. "As cricket is known as a gentleman's game, it is expected that the election process shall likewise be carried out in a dignified and gentlemanly manner. All stakeholders, including office-bearers, candidates, members, and staff of the KSCA, shall extend full cooperation to the Supervisory Authority and the Electoral Officer. No obstruction, interference, or attempt to influence the election process shall be tolerated. Any such act shall be viewed seriously," the Court said. .The directions were issued on a petition moved by KSCA challenging a letter issued by Electoral Officer Dr. B Basavaraju by which KSCA elections from postponed from November 30 to December 30. The notification cited an active court injunction and lack of clarity from the Managing Committee as reasons for the deferment..The Court heard extensive arguments from all parties and noted that none of them had any objections to the elections being held. The only concerns raised were regarding compliance with by-laws and Supreme Court orders. The Court said that it would not enter into interpreting the KSCA by-laws at this stage of the proceedings and instead, issued the revised timeline for elections on the consent of all parties"It is clarified that the election shall be conducted strictly in accordance with the existing bye-laws of the KSCA and in conformity with the directions of the Hon Supreme Court governing the Association," the Court said in its order..KSCA was represented by Senior Advocates Jayakumar A Patil, Uday Holla and C K Nandakumar and Advocate-on-Record S Sampath.Senior Advocate KN Phaneendra appeared for Returning officer. Senior Advocate Arun Kumar and advocate Manu Prabhakar Kulkarni appeared for interveners..[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
