HC relief for Kannada dailies

The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday dropped contempt proceedings against two Kannada dailies after an unconditional apology was tendered to the court stating that the apology will be published in the front page of both the newspapers.
 

Justice Ram Mohan Reddy passed an order dropping the contempt proceedings citing several orders passed on journalistic ethics. The bench had initiated contempt proceedings against the two Kannada dailies after they had published statements made by Samaja Parivarthana Samudaya president SR Hiremath in Dharwad.

Hiremath, during a press conference in Dharwad recently, had said that a sitting judge of the High Court and the government counsels were ‘hand in glove’ with the builders and were delaying the court proceedings. The petition is about Prestige Estates Projects Limited, who have questioned the cancellation of the allotment of 3.23 acres of land  at Pattanduru Agrahara village near Whitefield which was sold to them by Joy Ice Cream Ltd.

 The KIADB had alloted the land in question to Joy Ice Cream. The SPS had impleaded itself in the petition stating that the land is a gomala land and should not be allotted to any private party. The bench has sought explanation from Hiremath for his statements and the source of documents that was produced before the court, the bench adjourned the hearing till December 10.