JOIN USThe petitioners, Naveen Hotels Limited and Firebrick and Potteries Limited, both owned by R N Shetty have challenged the acquisition of three acres of land near Goreguntepalya for the Metro project.
The petitioners contended that the Metro would come up right next to their hotel and disrupt their business. They further said that the alignment that led to the acquisition of the three acres was not in the original plan and termed the Metro as mindless project.
The counsel for the BMRCL argued that the alignment was planned and designed by the Delhi Metro Corporation and called it a useful project.
Justice D V Shylendra Kumar gave BMRCL two weeks’ time to furnish the original plan and also directed them to maintain status quo during period.
Advertisement tax
The High Court has issued notice to Bharti Airtel in a matter related to levy of advertisement tax for using their brand to advertise on signboards of stores.
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had issued notices to companies like PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Hutchinson Essar, Bharti Airtel others asking them to pay advertisement taxes for using their band names on the sign boards at shops, restaurants and bars.
The matter was challenged in High Court as the companies wanted exemption from the tax and a single judge ruled that the companies did not have to pay tax for the display. The BBMP challenged the ruling before a Division Bench.
Tax incidence
Advocate General Ashok Haranahalli argued that the display of signboards amounted to advertisement.
“We have bars that sell sim cards and the companies advertise stating that their sim cards are available in the bars.
That amounts to advertisement of a particular brand.” he argued.
The Advocate General said there were 633 establishments in the City which had such boards and as per the KMC Act a trader would have to say that sim cards were available instead of specifying the service provider. The matter was adjourned.