BANGALORE: A private silk firm, with its showroom on Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bangalore, has moved the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the order of a city court directing the authorities to destroy silk goods seized from its showroom.

In its petition, the firm, Karnataka Silk International, said it was in the business of silk saris from 1952. It said the KSIC sent a notice to it claiming right to the logo "Mysore Silks" under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act. It lodged a complaint with the Ulsoorgate police station on March 6, 2006, in which its Managing Director P. Vijayan said the KSIC, a State Government undertaking, had been awarded geographical indication registration by the Registrar of Geographical Indications for "Mysore Silks".

The complaint said despite the notification, Karnataka Silk International, also known as Cauvery Silk International, had displayed a board saying "Mysore Silk." It had shopping carry bags with the logo KSI, Mysore Silk, etched on them.

It said on February 20, 2006, a notice was issued to the firm asking it to stop the sale and display of the logo "Mysore Silks."

The firm responded to the notice saying that it would delete the word "Mysore Silks" from its hoardings and boards but this had not been done.

The Ashoknagar police had registered a complaint. The petitioner said Assistant Commissioner of Police B.B. Ashok Kumar along with 31 police officials entered the showroom and created a ruckus. The police seized 86 silk saris and 1,045 empty cartons.

On August 17, 2006, the 11th Additional CMM, Mayo Hall, ordered the destruction of the articles seized from the showroom.

The petitioner said it was not only aggrieved by this order but also by the initiation of criminal proceedings. It urged the High Court to call for records and quash all proceedings.

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