Mayoral posts: HC notice to govt

The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday ordered notice to the State government and two private persons in an appeal challenging the single judge order on reservation for mayoral posts.

B S Sathyanarayana, the corporator from Basavanagudi, had filed a writ appeal questioning the order of the single judge directing the government to reserve the posts of mayor and deputy mayor for the Scheduled Tribes. The order was passed by Justice A S Bopanna last year in a petition filed by Lokesh and Indira.

The petitioners had contended that the posts had not been reserved for the ST candidates since 1995. Accordingly, the government was allowed to fill the two posts, provided they were reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.

Sathyanarayana had challenged the order justifying reservation of posts for general category in 2013, claiming that it was based on rotation among the seven corporations in Karnataka.

The counsel for the appellant submitted that reservation was based on population and going by the rotation, the ST candidates could have their turn in 2016-17.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna ordered notices to Lokesh, Indira and the State government.

Adjourned

 The High Court has adjourned the hearing of a petition seeking to revamp the Intelligence Bureau (IB) after the counsel for the petitioner sought to transfer the petition to the Supreme Court.

R N Kulkarni, retired joint director of IB had approached the Court claiming that the Bureau, established in 1887, enjoys an extra constitutional position and exists in constitutional vacuum.

He had stated that government had not legislated on the Bureau set up as Central Special Branch. The petitioner had sought directions to bring the Bureau on a par with any other civil intelligence organisation.