CHITTARANJANA N. S. D. Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Petitioner is before this Court seeking for the following reliefs:

(2.) The Petitioner is a member of Respondent No. 3- Vittal Grameena Sahakari Bank Limited, a primary society, registered under the Karnataka Co-op Societies Act, 1959 ['KCS Act' for short]. Respondent No. 4, Returning Officer, had issued a calendar of events for the five-year term of the Board of Directors of the Respondent No.3-Bank. The elections were to be scheduled on 9/3/2025. The petitioner being interested in contesting election submitted two sets of nomination papers on 1/3/2025, one under the General category and another under the Backward community category. Both the nomination papers were identified and endorsed by one Shi. Tammayya Gowda P., member of the Respondent-Bank.

(3.) On 2/3/2025 the Petitioner made a representation to the Respondent No.4-Returning Officer that he would be withdrawing his nomination under the General category and requesting the Returning Officer to consider his nomination under the OBC reserved category. It is alleged that initially the Returning Officer did not acknowledge the receipt of the representation by affixing a seal, but on a prolonged protest therefafter he received the said request by affixing a signature. Subsequent thereto, it is contended that the Returning Officer had issued an unnumbered, undated endorsement, rejecting the nomination of the petitioner for the OBC category. It is aggrieved by the endorsement rejecting the nomination filed by the petitioner for the Backward category-A that the petitioner had approached this court.