Karnataka High Court dismisses Kalpana Venkatachar’s appeal, clears KSCA polls for Dec 7

Division Bench dismisses Kalpana Venkatachar’s appeal; confirms earlier order validating K.N. Shanth Kumar’s nomination.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) presidential election has reached a decisive point, with the Karnataka High Court confirming that the polling will be conducted on December 7 as originally scheduled. The Division Bench dismissed the appeal filed by Kalpana Venkatachar and upheld the earlier order that restored the candidature of K.N. Shanth Kumar.

The election controversy began a couple of weeks ago when the Returning Officer rejected the nomination papers of K.N. Shanth Kumar, who was contesting for the KSCA President post as the nominee of the Prajavani–Deccan Herald Sports Club. His papers were turned down during scrutiny due to technical deficiencies, including pending dues of ₹200 attributed to the club he represented.

Challenging this decision, Shanth Kumar approached the Karnataka High Court through a writ petition. A single-judge Bench headed by Justice Suraj Govindaraj set aside the Returning Officer’s order, ruling that minor dues could be cleared at the time of verification and could not be grounds for outright rejection. The judge ordered that the KSCA election must proceed on December 7 without delay.

Also Read:High Court restores K.N. Shanth Kumar’s candidature for KSCA presidential poll

Today’s High Court order

The matter escalated again when Kalpana Venkatachar questioned the single-judge order and sought its reversal before the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha. After reviewing the appeal, the Bench observed that she was not an aggrieved party in the matter and had no standing to challenge the earlier decision.

The court held that the previous ruling of the single-judge Bench was correct, especially regarding the provision that pending dues can be settled during nomination verification. As a result, the appeal filed by Kalpana Venkatachar was dismissed in full.

Election to go ahead without changes

With the High Court reiterating its directions, the KSCA presidential election will be held on December 7 as planned. The order clears all legal obstacles, confirming K.N. Shanth Kumar’s place in the electoral race against former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad.

Also Read:Karnataka High Court directs KSCA elections on December 7, quashes poll delay