Pro-Kannada activists get dressing down from HC

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P D Dinakaran and V G Sabhahit, while hearing a petition filed by Kannada activists Vatal Nagraj, Praveen Shetty, and Dalit Sangarsha Samithi (DSS) leader N Murthy, warned that such efforts to divide the country by creating a linguistic barrier would not be tolerated. During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners submitted that the government had violated the Karnataka Parks and Playground Preservation Act, which says that no statue shall be installed at public places.

The counsel informed the court of the protest over the statue since 1991 and pointed out that the City corporation had withheld permission for it following an agitation.

Warning

Justice Dinakaran said: “Keep those agitations out of court. If your allegations are proved false, we will have to impose a cost on you.” The bench further said: “Are you ready to file an affidavit to prevent the installation of the Sarvajna statue in Tamil Nadu? We have learnt from newspapers that the chief minister has personally invited the Tamil Nadu chief minister to unveil the (Thiruvalluvar) statue. But here you are trying to divide the country in the name of language. This should stop.”

The petitioners had contended that the unveiling of the statue would amount to violation of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.