HC warns Ramanagar SP against torturing activist

The High Court on Monday warned the Ramanagara Superintendent of Police that the authorities would have to face action if they tried to torture the RTI activist who had filed a petition challenging the appointments made to the Kanakapura Local Planning Authority (KLPA).

Hearing a petition filed by Ravi Kumar, the RTI activist, Justice Ram Mohan Reddy summoned Chandragupta, the SP, and said that the petitioner had filed a complaint against a minister and it was the SP’s job to protect him even in custody. Ravi Kumar has been arrested by the Ramanagara police in some other case.

Ravi Kumar had filed a petition, challenging the appointment of the president and members to KLPA. He contends that M D Vijaydev, K Puttamade Gowda and Joseph Gonsalves were appointed as the president and members respectively on the basis of the recommendation letter by Energy Minister D K Shivakumar to the chief minister. The petitioner said that the chief minister, based on the letter, issued their appointment letters on February 14, 2014.

The petitioner said that following an RTI query, it was found that the appointed members were not qualified and had criminal backgrounds. The bench had directed the SP to file an affidavit about the criminal cases. When it was learnt that the SP had not filed the affidavit and that the petitioner was arrested, the bench pulled up the SP and said that he was misleading the court. It asked the SP to file the affidavit in the next hearing on Tuesday.

Zonal regulations amended
The State government on Monday told the High Court that necessary amendments had been made to the zonal regulations of the Revised Master Plan-2015. 

Citizen Action Forum and members of various residents’ welfare associations had filed a PIL and had sought directions from the court to amend the Revised Master Plan-2015 formulated by the BDA.

The petitioners wanted amendments with regard to use of residential properties and mutation corridors as Bengaluru’s area has increased after BBMP was formed by including new areas. A division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna had set December 15 as the deadline to amend the revised master plan.