The Bangalore Hotel Association has been granted permission by the High Court to offer complimentary meals to patrons who visit member restaurants after voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the city.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, presiding over a single-judge bench of the High Court, delivered the verdict in favor of the Association following a hearing on Wednesday.
The initiative, in collaboration with Hotel Nisarga Grand, aims to incentivize voting and bolster voter turnout in Bengaluru. While the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contested the Association’s application seeking approval for providing free meals to post-voting customers, the court ruled in favor of the initiative.
During the hearing, the Association’s legal representative clarified that the offer wasn’t politically motivated but solely intended to encourage voter participation on polling day. The lawyer emphasized the Association’s tradition of offering free meals to voters after polling and requested the court’s permission to continue the practice.
After considering arguments from both sides, Justice Nagaprasanna commended the Association’s efforts to promote voter engagement and issued a judgment allowing member hotel owners to serve complimentary meals to voters following their participation in the electoral process.
