The High Court on Thursday admitted a PIL challenging a Revenue department circular that had stayed the eviction of unauthorised occupants of government lands in Chikkamagalur, Shimoga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Hassan districts.
The petition filed by M S Prabhakar, a resident of Hosanagara in Shimoga district, said that the State Revenue department had issued a circular on July 25, 2007 staying the actions taken against unauthorised occupants of government lands, gomala land and reserve forest lands, at some select places. This arbitrary circular was an attempt to overcome the SC direction to immediately evict encroachers of government lands, he contended.
The circular had stayed land survey and eviction proceedings against unauthorised occupants of these lands in Chikkamagalur, Shimoga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Hassan districts. It had also ordered to stall the filing of criminal cases against encroachers  in rural areas, on the ground of complaints regarding aggressive conduct by lower level revenue officials. The Division Bench directed the State to file its counter statement in a month.