Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Friday disqualified JDS MP Prajwal Revanna from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency after he was found guilty of giving false information in an election affidavit to the Election Commission (EC). A single-judge bench headed by Justice K Natarajan, which heard the petition filed by A Manju and others against Prajwal Revanna, issued an important order.
Justice K Natarajn allowed the election petition filed by A Manju and lawyer G Devaraj Gowda. A Manju contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and lost against Prajwal Revanna. Currently, A Manju is in the JDS party and is the sitting member of the Arakalagudu Assembly Constituency.
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Also, the court rejected the petition filed by A Manju seeking to declare him as the winning candidate as Prajwal, grandson of JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, was involved in election irregularities. But Manju's request to declare him as a Member of Parliament has been rejected by the High Court as his involvement in election fraud has also been proven.
Besides, MLA HD Revanna and Legislative Council member Suraj Revanna have also committed illegal acts during the election and the High Court has instructed the registrar to issue notices to them. Also, the High Court directed the Election Commission to take necessary action as per Section 19 of the Election Procedure Code (declaration of those who have secured the highest number of votes).
Background of the case: Petitioner A Manju complained that Prajwal Revanna had not declared full property details while filing his nomination papers for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. On January 17, the Karnataka High Court dismissed his petition as flawed. It said that even after giving time to rectify the omissions, they were not rectified within the time limit. Challenging this High Court order, lawyer Devaraj Gowda approached the Supreme Court. Later, the Supreme Court directed the High Court to hear the petition in this regard.
What is the plea of lawyer Devaraj Gowda?: Advocate G Devaraj Gowda contended that Prajwal Revanna acquired illegal property, but the High Court dismissed the petition on technical grounds without conducting an inquiry. He then approached the Supreme Court urging it to conduct an inquiry. Devaraj Gowda alleged that by the age of 15, Prajwal Revanna had made a property worth Rs 23 crores. However, these elements are not included in the information submitted to the Income Tax Department. The lawyer also contended that Revanna also gave false information about the property to the Election Commission in the affidavit. Devaraj Gowda also demanded that an investigation should be conducted by the Income Tax Department.
Prajwal Revanna, who was the lone Lok Sabha member from the JDS party in the state, now has been disqualified from his seat, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda had ceded the Hassan constituency to his grandson Prajwal Revanna.
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