Karanth Layout: Govt, BDA asked to cooperate with probe

The Supreme Court has directed the Karnataka government and the Bangalore Development Authority to produce the requisite record before Justice K N Keshavanarayana in an inquiry for “fixing responsibility” for excluding large tracts of land from acquisition for the Dr K Shivaram Karanth Layout.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, M R Shah and B R Gavai passed the direction after going through a report submitted by Justice Keshavanarayana, the former judge of Karnataka high court.

In the order passed on August 20, the court gave three weeks to the authorities to provide all records before the inquiry officer. It put the matter for consideration after two months.

The top court is examining the compliance of the August 3, 2018, judgement that directed the government and the BDA to ensure the acquisition of 3,500 acres of land for the layout.

The court had in July pulled up the state authorities for failing to provide sufficient materials to the inquiry officer.

It had on May 2 dismissed a batch of review petitions filed against the August 3, 2018, judgement, which affected hundreds of people who have built their dwellings on the land.

In its judgement, the top court had then taken a strong exception to alleged “connivance of influential political persons or otherwise” in the move to exclude large tracts of land (about 650 acres) from acquisition for the layout.

The preliminary notification issued in 2008, during the previous stint of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, was for the acquisition of 3,500 acres of land. But the issue remained mired in the legal battle.