Karnataka - Bangalore   

Court pulls up Home Secretary

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the State Government for failing to follow the orders of the court relating to the unauthorised occupation of a residential building in Cottonpet by the Bangalore city police.

The Court noted that it had on the last occasion directed the Home Secretary, Vatsala Watsa, to file a detailed report on the issue but to no avail.

Coming down heavily on the police for their highhanded action, the court observed that though it had given sufficient time to the Home Secretary and the police, no action was done.

The court was dealing with a petition in which the owner of a building in Cottonpet had challenged the “forced take over” of his building by the police. According to the petitioner, he had let out the premises to nine tenants. One of the tenants was Chinnaswamy, whose son was suspected to be involved in criminal cases and who was killed in an encounter.

After the encounter, the Inspector of Cottonpet police, along with other officials, evicted the other tenants and occupied the premises after terming it a police outpost. The Government had claimed that the police officials were merely doing their duty and that they had put up the board saying police outpost as the “police wanted to keep a watch on persons with bad antecedents visiting the place”.

Taking umbrage at the manner in which the tenants were ousted, the court had, during earlier hearings, remarked that “it is shocking to notice that the police officials had occupied the premises for four years and that they have now come up with an explanation which would indicate arbitrary action and also interfering with the normal life of a person”.

The court said it had sought for a report when the case had come up in March 2007. After that, the court had again given time when the case came up in June. Now, it is November end and there is no sign of a report . The court adjourned case for further hearing.

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