The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Petition seeking CBI probe into land allotment filed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 13, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Petition seeking CBI probe into land allotment filed

Staff Reporter

HIGH COURTROUND-UP

BANGALORE: The imbroglio over the allotment of house sites in the Judicial Layout at Thalghatapura took a new turn on Friday with a judge and three retired judges filing a petition before the Karnataka High Court seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the allotment of land illegally to associate members of the Karnataka State Judicial Employees House Building Society.

The petitioners, Ashok S. Gadag, who is the 26th Additional City Civil Judge, and Kulkarni Rama Rao, L. Prahaladacharya and Shankanagouda V. Patil, retired judges, said they had not been allotted sites though they were senior members of the society.

They opposed the introduction of associate members into the society, saying that it is ultra vires and illegal and that they could not get precedence over the regular members.

Meanwhile, a Division Bench, comprising Justice Rammohan Reddy and Justice H. Billappa, adjourned to Friday a contempt petition and a public interest litigation (PIL) petition against the society.

When the matter came up, the petitioners and the society said they had only inspected part of the land at the Judicial Layout near Yelahanka and that they needed more time to complete inspection.

The parties had during the last occasion agreed to a joint inspection of the available land in the locality and place the report before the court.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case and directed the parties to complete inspection.

`Before Cabinet'

The Government on Thursday told the High Court that the proposal for dismissing from service a former Commissioner of a municipal council was before the Cabinet.

Making these submissions, Principal Government Advocate A.N. Venugopal Gowda said the Lokayukta report against S. Hanumanthappa, former Commissioner of Kolar Municipal Council, was received and that the file was before the Cabinet.

The court had last year taken to task the then Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, and the then Agriculture Minister, K. Srinivasa Gowda, for "protecting" the official and sought the official's suspension after two public interest litigation petitions were filed challenging the transfer of Mr. Hanumanthappa as Commissioner of the Kolar CMC and seeking implementation of the Lokayukta report.

When the matter came up before court, a Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil, sought to know why Mr. Hanumanthappa had been reinstated into service after he was suspended. The Bench made it known that it would direct the Government to dismiss Mr. Hanumanthappa in case the Government did not do so before the next date of hearing.

The Bench adjourned further hearing in the case.

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