The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday permitted the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels’ Association to providing food either for free or at discounted rate for those who cast their vote in the ensuing elections to Lok Sabha subject to condition that they are liable for legal action by the authorities if they violate the Model Code of Conduct or any other law in the process of offering complementary food.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order on a petition filed by the sssociation complaining that the election authorities have failed to consider several representations seeking permission to provide complementary food for free to the voters to increase the voting percentage in Bengaluru city.
Pointing out that court had last year permitted the association to offer complementary food to voters subject to certain conditions, the association has said that it has given an undertaking to the election authorities to obey all the conditions imposed by the court last year for offering free food to to encourage people to caste their votes as city witnesses low voter turnout in elections.
The election authorities have not responded to any of the representations so far, the association has stated in its petition while reiterating the undertakings.
The court granted the permission to the association to offer complementary food to voters by adhering to all the conditions imposed by the court when a similar permission was granted during the Assembly elections held last year.
