Govt decides municipal corp membership cessation, rules HC

Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court quashed a showcause notice issued to two members of Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) and held that the appropriate authority to decide on cessation of membership of a municipal corporation is the state govt, based on a valid reference from the corporation. The commissioner had no authority to independently adjudicate the issue, it said.Jayant Jadhav and Nagesh Pawar challenged the Aug 26, 2025, showcause notice issued by the regional commissioner under Section 19 of Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act (KMC Act), alleging non-disclosure of assets and proposing action of disqualification.After perusing the provisions of the KMC Act, Justice KS Hemalekha noted that the commissioner, being an executive authority under Section 14 of the KMC Act, was not a competent authority to initiate or adjudicate proceedings under Section 19.In Section 7, the term ‘corporation' consists of the elected councillor and not the commissioner appointed under Section 14. The commissioner is an executive officer of the corporation and is neither a member of the corporation nor vested with adjudicatory powers under Section 19, the judge further added.