PIL challenging constitutionality of Shivakumar’s council of ministers dismissed
The Karnataka high court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the constitutionality of chief minister DK Shivakumar’s newly formed council of ministers, and fined the petitioner ₹50,000, calling the plea a publicity stunt and a waste of judicial time. DK Shivakumar took over as the Karnataka chief minister on June 3. (PTI) “The present petition is premised on an erroneous ground that the number of ministers, including the chief minister, in a council of ministers cannot be less than 12% of the total members of the Karnataka legislature. A plain reading of the proviso to Article 164(1A) of the Constitution of India states that the number of ministers, including the chief minister, in a state shall not be less than 12,” a bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice KS Hemalekha said. Hubballi resident Mangalappa Hullikeri filed the PIL seeking the dissolution of the 14-member council of ministers sworn in on June 3, arguing it violated Article 164(1A) governing the size of state cabinets. The court said that the petition rested …







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