Vacate Race Course Road office by Dec 31: SC to JD(S)

 The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by Janata Dal (Secular), challenging a Karnataka High Court verdict, which had rejected its claim over Race Course Road property in Bangalore.

 The HC had in its October, 2013 order held that the office belonged to the Congress party. It had upheld the decree passed by a civil court in this regard in 2005.

An apex court bench presided over by Justice K S Radhakrishnan rejected the claim made by JD(S) over the premises and directed it to vacate the office by December 31. The court had reserved its verdict on January 10. The property was donated to the Bangalore City Congress Committee in 1949 by Rangaswamy by way of a gift deed for construction of the Congress Bhavan.

The Congress (O), Janata Party, Janata Dal or the JD(S) had never acquired title of the property but could have its office there in view of splits in the Indian National Congress between 1969 and 1978.

JD(S) State president A Krishnappa told Deccan Herald that the party will abide by the ruling of the apex court. “We will look at other possible alternatives to set up our head office after the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

Krishnappa said that the party will be filing an affidavit before the SC in the next two to three weeks stating their next course of action. KPCC president G Parameshwara said the party welcomes verdict.