Veteran sports administrator K N Shanth Kumar on Saturday expressed relief after the High Court declared his nomination papers for the post of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) valid, setting aside an earlier decision of the Electoral Officer.
The Karnataka High Court order means that former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad will now have competition for the KSCA president's post during the elections scheduled on December 7.
"There's only one way you can view it. It's a welcome development. I'm very relieved that the court has seen that I'm eligible. And now we're working towards building for the election," Shanth Kumar, who wore many hats as a sports administrator over three decades, told PTI.
Shanth Kumar, Director of The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd, is a former president of Karnataka Olympic Association (KOA) and the Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA).
Shanth Kumar, who is also one of the Directors in the PTI Board, has been a steward of the Bangalore Turf Club, besides being a council member of the Indian Golf Union (IGU).
He was also the non-playing captain of the Indian golf team during the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea.
In Saturday's order the state High Court also asked the KSCA Electoral Officer to publish the list of candidates for the post of president.
While setting aside EO's order dated November 24, Justice Suraj Govindaraj said the remaining electoral process should be conducted as per the calendar earlier decided by the High Court.
So, does Shanth Kumar need to file a fresh nomination?
"From what I can understand, the (existing) nomination holds because what the court has done is...it has quashed the order of the electoral officer. The electoral officer had rejected my nomination. And that is the (EO's) order with which we went to the court, appealing to quash it.
"So the court has set aside the electoral officer's order of rejecting my application. Therefore, the nomination stands," Shanth Kumar, whose nomination was earlier rejected on technical grounds, said.
Prasad welcomed the court's order, and said it has given clarity to the situation ahead of the polls.
"We wholeheartedly welcome the order of the Hon'ble Karnataka High Court. With this clarity now in place, I am fully prepared to contest the upcoming KSCA elections," said Prasad in a statement.
The former India pacer reiterated his stance to bring back glory to Karnataka cricket.
"My commitment is clear: our sole focus is on winning this election and ushering in a much-needed positive change at KSCA.
"My only intention is to contribute meaningfully and lead the KSCA administrative team towards transparency, accountability, and excellence," he added.
Apart from Prasad and Shanth Kumar, other prominent contestants are: former cricketers Sujith Somasundar (Vice-president, Secretary) and Avinash Vaidya (Joint Secretary and Managing Committee member).
Both the panels under Prasad and Shanth Kumar have vowed to bring back top-flight cricket to M Chinnaswamy Stadium soon.
At present, the famed venue is deprived of high-level action on security grounds after a stampede near the stadium caused the death of 11 fans on June 4 during the IPL victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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