Rebuild apartment complex compound: HC

The High Court on Friday directed the Bengaluru South tahsildar to construct the compound wall of Nandini Lakeview Apartments razed during the demolition drive to evict encroachments on the Sarakki lake bed in the City on Thursday.

The apartment dwellers moved the High Court on Friday, contending that despite a status quo ordered by the court, the compound wall was demolished. Dr Dayanand, Tahsildar, Bengaluru South, who was present before the court following directions by a division bench comprising Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna, submitted that the demolition on Thursday had begun before the court order to maintain status quo reached the authorities on the spot. He also submitted that the administration has now maintained status quo after it received a copy of the order and assured the court that there will be no violation of the same on their part.

When the bench asked for the person responsible for demolition, counsel for the petitioners, Lakshmi Iyengar showed video clippings from the drive and a woman officer was seen heading the squad. The bench then directed the tahsildar to construct the compound wall of the apartment.

When the government counsel tried to say that the contempt petition pertained to an older petition and is not connected with the Thursday’s incident, the bench refused to buy the argument. The bench also refused to grant more time to the government to construct the compound wall.