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Journalism of Courage
The Karnataka High Court on Friday set December 7 as the date for the managing committee elections for the Karnataka State Cricket Association, after a letter by the relevant electoral officer had delayed it by a month from the original date of November 30.
A bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order in the context of a petition by the KSCA and members of the managing committee against this letter.
One of the counsels for the KSCA stated that the officer’s stance of seeking unanimity regarding the election was erroneous, as the nature of an election itself would mean that members could be at odds with each other. Senior counsels Jayakumar Patil and Udaya Holla, representing the petitioners, argued that once the election process had commenced, it could not be postponed.
In the wake of the extensive submissions by the petitioners, senior counsel K N Phanindra, on behalf of the electoral officer, stated that they would be willing to conduct the election in accordance with a time frame fixed by the high court.
The high court then appointed retired judge Justice Subhash Adi as the supervisory authority for the election. It set the date for the scrutiny of nominations on November 24, with the list of candidates to be announced by 6 pm that day. It also directed that candidates could withdraw until 3 pm on November 26, with the final list of candidates to be announced two hours after that. Finally, the elections would be conducted on December 7 from 11 am to 7 pm, followed by the announcement of the results, the high court said.
The bench noted in its order that, “The election shall be conducted in a fair, open, and transparent manner, without any disturbance. 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.”
Former international cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, who is contesting the elections, had earlier expressed his dismay over the delay. “Cricket is suffering right now, and the season is already underway. It is vital for elections to proceed so that a fresh committee can implement its vision. We have no issues with the Election Commission and fully respect their decisions. However, this postponement has come as a complete surprise,” Prasad said in a statement.
