Ashram will not relent: Ex-MLC

‘NTMS officially handed over to Ashram; will take legal recourse in case of hurdles’.

A week after the protest by pro-Kannada activists against handing over NTMS school to Ramakrishna Ashram began, representatives from the Ashram stated that they would continue to fight legally, irrespective of the court decision, which might be pronounced shortly. 

Addressing media persons on Saturday, Madegowda, former MLC and president of Vivekananda Cultural Youth Centre, said that on May 15, 2013, the government had officially handed over NTMS school to Ramakrishna Ashram, and had also released the first installment amount of Rs 25 lakh out of Rs five crore, set aside by the Ministry of Culture, to construct the proposed Swami Vivekananda Yuva Kendra, a memorial where the school now stands.

Despite passing a gazette notification, the government was not keen on handing over the land to the Ashram, he said. Presently, the matter is being heard by Fifth Additional District and Sessions Court, which has adjourned the case to May 26.He said, whatever the court decision, the Ashram would continue its fight legally for the land, he added.

He said a section of people was opposed to the project as the proposed project would come up in the heart of the city, therefore becoming an enormously valuable piece of real estate. In order to grab it, a handful of people are fighting a proxy war to deny the property to the Mutt, despite the latter being the legal owners. 

Advocate Arun Kumar, who is representing the Ashram, said that one of the petitioners who had filed a writ petition in High Court challenging the government order had faced a set back as the Court had not ruled in the petitioner’s favour. It had also imposed a fine on the petitioner stating that he had wasted the time of the court by not producing evidence.

“The protesters then started making a noise under the pretext of a Kannada medium school, but they could not muster any public opinion. Later they approached the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), alleging violation of right to education. But there too they failed, as the JJB had ruled that the matter was beyond its jurisdiction,” he said.

Protest continues

On Saturday, devotees and members of Niranjan Mutt, adjoining NTMS, staged a protest inside the Mutt premises and shouted slogans demanding the handing over of the school to Ramakrishna Ashram. Meanwhile, writer Devanoor Mahadev too joined the protesters of Kannada Kreeya Samiti, who have been agitating from the past five days in front of NTMS school.

DCP (Crime and Traffic) Kalakrishnamurthy said that more than 30 police personnels have been deployed at the vicinity to avoid any untoward incidents.