The comments were made by Justice Khehar while hearing a petition on a public interest litigation filed by Kottur Mutt seer against the illegal constructions coming up at the Virupapura Gudda.
The seer had said that the illegal resorts and activities taking place at the world heritage centre, the tag given to Hampi by the UNESCO, will be a threat to the historically important ancient city.
“How much money you have spent on Hampi festival?” the Chief Justice enquired. The government pleader's reply was Rs 10 crore on Hampi Festival and Rs 27 crore on Krishna Devaraya's coronation.
To this, Justice Khehar said, “You have a lot of money for functions but not for judiciary. We will ensure that all this (your extravagance) is stopped.”
The division bench of Justice Khehar and Justice Bopanna directed the government to convene a meeting with all the stake holders involved in developing Hampi. The government pleader told the court that a separate place for commercial activities had been given.
The court gave two weeks’ time to the archaeology department to file affidavit.