HC orders 3 pc quota in PG for disabled docs

The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State government to complete the formalities regarding the seat matrix for the Postgraduate Common Entrance Test within three days. 

Justice Bhaktavatsala told the government to announce the seat matrix within three days and asked it to provide three per cent reservation to physically challenged doctors during counselling for allotment of seats to eligible candidates in various disciplines of the postgraduate medical courses of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, as per the guidelines issued by the Medical Council of India.

The court was hearing a petition by physically challenged doctors - Veeresh Hallur and Mahajid Pasha - demanding three per cent reservation in the allotment of seats. 

The petitioners said that the government had come up with a separate seat matrix, reserving postgraduate medical seats for doctors with locomotor disability in the range of 50 per cent to 70 per cent. They said such a reservation in seat matrix was only to offer seats in least preferred courses. The petitioners sought directions from the court to the government to provide three per cent horizontal reservation to physically challenged doctors in the pre-clinical, para-clinical and clinical courses.

Land recovery stayed

The High Court has granted a three-weeks interim stay on the acquisition process of 64.23 acres of forest land at Janagalagunte of Srinivasapur taluk, allegedly encroached upon by former speaker of the Assembly, K R Ramesh Kumar.

The Forest department had, on April 31, cleared encroachment of the land, following an eviction order dated March 31, 2012, by Conservator of Forests, Bangalore Circle. In the order, Kumar, who is also a Congress leader, was directed to vacate the land encroached upon by him in the forest area.

Kumar had filed a petition questioning the order by the Conservator of Forests. Justice Bhaktavatsala stayed the land acquisition process and adjourned the hearing to May 22.

The petitioner has said that the land in question was allotted to farmers about 50 years ago and later the same has been purchased by him legally. 

Review plea

The State government and former DG&IGP Shankar Bidari filed a review petition in the High Court on Wednesday after the Supreme Court remanded the matter, regarding his appointment to the post, to it for fresh consideration.  

The division bench comprising Justice Bhaktavatsala and Justice Arvind Kumar referred the petition to Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen and adjourned the matter.

The Supreme Court had set aside the High Court order directing his removal from the post. It had said that the State was, however, free to appoint anyone of its choice as the DG&IGP. The apex court had said that the High Court should decide the matter before May 31, when both Bidari and Infant are retiring from service.

Notice to govt, Lokayukta 

The High Court on Wednesday ordered notice to the State government, Lokayukta and complainant Mahadevaswamy in connection with a petition filed by former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, on a private complaint alleging irregularities in denotification of government land in Thanisandra during his tenure as chief minister in 2007. 

Kumaraswamy, in an interim prayer, had sought exemption from personal appearance in the Lokayukta case on May 30. While hearing the petition, Justice Anand Byrareddy observed that the Lokayukta court has its own powers under Lokayukta Act in this regard and told the petitioner that he can approach the Lokayukta court for further exemption. The HC refused to grant exemption and adjourned the hearing to May 21.

Mahadevaswamy, in his private complaint filed before the Lokayukta Special Court, had alleged that Kumaraswamy had illegally denotified 3.8 acres of land in Thanisandra.