Supreme Court restores Congress leader Raje Gowda as Sringeri MLA for now

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 11, 2026: The Supreme Court of India on Monday ordered status quo in the case that had led to the disqualification of Karnataka Congress leader T D Raje Gowda as the MLA from the Sringeri Assembly constituency and the swearing-in of BJP leader D N Jeevaraj.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K Vinod Chandran directed that all actions taken pursuant to the Karnataka High Court order dated April 6, 2026, be kept in abeyance. As an interim measure, the court restored the status of Raje Gowda as MLA.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Mukul Rohatgi and Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Raje Gowda, questioned the validity of the High Court’s order.

Senior advocate V Giri, representing Jeevaraj, informed the court that he had already taken oath as MLA before the Speaker.

The apex court issued notices to the respondents, including the Karnataka government and the Election Commission, and ordered maintenance of status quo, observing that “democracy cannot be hijacked like this.”

In the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, Raje Gowda had defeated Jeevaraj by a narrow margin of 201 votes.

Following an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, the Karnataka High Court had ordered reverification and recounting of postal ballots on April 6 this year.

The recount significantly changed the outcome. Jeevaraj’s postal ballot count came down slightly from 692 to 690 votes, while Gowda’s tally dropped sharply from 569 to 314 votes, reducing his lead by 255 votes.

Subsequently, the returning officer declared Jeevaraj elected under Section 66 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, resulting in the removal of the sitting Congress MLA nearly three years after his election to the Assembly.