- 1 - NC: 2025:KHC:5347-DB WP No. 1160 of 2024 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 6TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2025 PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR N. V. ANJARIA, CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE M.I.ARUN WRIT PETITION NO. 1160 OF 2024 (GM-RES PIL) BETWEEN: 1. SRI. GURUNATH VADDE S/O VAJINATH VADDE AGED ABOUT 56 YEARS SOCIAL WORKER R/O JANASEVA ASHRAMA BHAVANI BIJALAGAON-585 443 KAMALANGAR TALUK BIDAR DISTRICT. …PETITIONER (BY SRI. J.R.MOHAN, ADVOCATE) AND: 1. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA REP. BY ITS CHIEF SECRETARY VIDHANA SOUDHA Dr. B.R. AMBEDKAR VEEDHI BENGALURU-560 001. 2. THE LOKAYUKTA KARNATAKA LOKAYUKTA M.S. BUILDINGS Digitally signed by H K HEMA Location: High Court of Karnataka - 2 - NC: 2025:KHC:5347-DB WP No. 1160 of 2024 Dr. B.R. AMBEDKAR VEEDHI BENGALURU-560 001. …RESPONDENTS (BY SMT. NILOUFER AKBAR, AGA FOR R1) THIS WP IS FILED PRAYING UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE A WRIT IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS, DIRECTING THE RESPONDENTS TO HOLD ENQUIRY AGAINST THE MLAs, MPs AND MLCs WHO WERE ELECTED THROUGH THE STATE ASSEMBLY AND LOKA SABHA CONSTITUENCIES FROM THE STATE OF KARNATAKA, WHOSE ASSETS ARE DISPROPORTIONATE TO THEIR KNOWN SOURCE OF INCOME, BY CONSIDERING THE REPRESENTATION DATED 20/12/2023 MADE BY THE PETITIONER VIDE ANNEXURE-H. THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING, THIS DAY, JUDGMENT WAS DELIVERED THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE MR. JUSTICE N. V. ANJARIA and HON'BLE MR JUSTICE M.I.ARUN - 3 - NC: 2025:KHC:5347-DB WP No. 1160 of 2024 ORAL JUDGMENT (PER: HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE MR. JUSTICE N. V. ANJARIA) Heard learned advocate Mr. J.R. Mohan for the petitioner and learned Additional Government Advocate Smt. Niloufer Akbar who appeared upon service of the copy of the petition in advance. 2. The present petition is styled as public interest petition. The petitioner claims to be a social worker and stated to be engaged in various social welfare activities. According to him, he has gained good name in the locality for his social services. 3. The grievance of the petitioner as pleaded in the petition is that many of the political leaders who are Member of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly and Members of the Legislative Council etc., according to the petitioner, have enmassed huge wealth and that their assets are disproportionate to their known sources of income. 3.1 It is stated that under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, they are supposed to disclose the details of their assets at the time of elections. It is - 4 - NC: 2025:KHC:5347-DB WP No. 1160 of 2024 the case that they hardly adhere to this obligation and that their assets and income are required to be investigated. It is stated that there has been a steep increase in their assets and against several elected representatives, criminal cases are pending. 3.2 The petitioner has referred to certain news items in paragraph 8 published in the local newspapers. It is the case that since the assets of the elected representatives have been increased at an alarming rate to become disproportionate to their known source of income and if the trend is allowed to go unchecked, it would have a devastating result and the people would loose faith in the democracy. 4. With such basic premise in the pleading, what is prayed in the petition is to direct the respondent authorities to hold the inquiry against the Member of Legislative Assembly, Member of Parliament and the other elected representatives who are elected in the State Assembly and the Lok Sabha through their respective constituencies from the State of Karnataka whose assets, allegedly, are disproportionate to their known source of income by considering the representation of the petitioner already made on 20.12.2023. - 5 - NC: 2025:KHC:5347-DB WP No. 1160 of 2024 5. The petition and the facts stated therein are too general and too vague to be acted upon in a public interest petition. A general allegation and bald statements will not carry the case of the petitioner further in any view, the cases where illegalities or irregularities are noticed in terms of income and assets of any person, any government servant or public representative found to be disproportionate to the known sources of their income, statutory provisions and machinery in law are in existence under which the recourse could be taken in individual cases in accordance with law. 6. The court is not inclined to entertain the public interest petition which stand on general statements. 7. The petition is dismissed as meritless. Sd/- (N. V. ANJARIA) CHIEF JUSTICE Sd/- (M.I.ARUN) JUDGE PGG List No.: 1 Sl No.: 6