Supreme Court panel notice to Kodihalli over Karanth Layout video

Farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar has landed in a soup over a video that purportedly shows him asking farmers not to submit building documents on Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout to a Supreme Court-appointed committee.

The three-member committee, headed by Justice A V Chandrashekar, has sought applications from the owners of buildings constructed in the housing colony before August 3, 2018. The move is aimed at protecting legal buildings from demolition.

Addressing farmers belonging to 17 villages that are part of Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout, Kodihalli had raised questions over the committee’s functioning and asked the farmers not to submit any land-related documents to it. The video was widely shared on social media.

Taking notice of the video, the committee has served a show-cause notice on Kodihalli, seeking an explanation about his statement and asking why suitable action should not be recommended against him to the Supreme Court. He has time until March 15 to reply.

The committee felt that Kodihalli was obstructing the execution of orders issued by the apex court, which amounts to contempt of court.

DH has seen a copy of the show-cause notice, which states: “Kodihalli Chandrashekar’s call appeared to have triggered unnecessary confusion among the public or farmers, besides misleading them. His statements have obstructed the execution of legal work as directed by the Supreme Court. Hence, the committee decides to bring this act to the notice of the Supreme Court.”

Reacting to the notice, Kodihalli told DH he never questioned the committee or its sanctity.

“I only told the farmers that we do not have detailed information about the formation and composition of the committee or the scope of its work,” he said.

According to him, farmers were never told why the committee was collecting the land documents nor did it assure them about the security of the documents once they are uploaded online.

“Isn’t this our fundamental right to ask why the committee was constituted and why it’s collecting the documents? If they think farmers should not even exercise this fundamental right, where are we heading,” he said.

He urged the committee members to watch the video again, and they would understand what exactly he had told the farmers.