New Delhi, Dec. 9 -- The Supreme Court on Monday sought the response of Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on a petition challenging his election in the 2023 assembly elections for allegedly promising freebies in his party manifesto. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice on the petition filed by K Shankara, a voter in Siddaramaiah's constituency Varuna, who alleged that such pre-poll promises seeks to disturb the level playing field during elections and amounts to a "corrupt practice" -- a ground provided under the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951 (RPA) to challenge the election of a winning candidate. The bench was apprehensive if this could be a ground to contest an election, saying, "How can a declaration in a manifesto amount to corrupt practice?" Shankara's lawyer, however, pointed out that the issue of whether election freebies or pre-poll promises made by political parties and candidates amounts to "corrupt practice" is squarely under consideration before the top court. A three-judge bench is considering whether a 2013 decision of the top court in S Subramaniam Balaji required reconsideration. This decision held that pre-election promises do not amount to corrupt practice. It was then that the court agreed to entertain the petition. The Karnataka high court had on April 22 this year dismissed the petition against which the appeal was filed in the top court. Shankara sought to bring pre-poll promises under "bribery", which is defined as a corrupt practice under Section 123 of RPA....