SC may take up border dispute case on Jan 20

 The State government will take up further arguments on the “maintainability” of a petition filed by Maharashtra staking claim to 814 villages in Karnataka when the case is taken up by the Supreme Court later this month.

Briefing reporters after holding a meeting with legal experts and members of the Karnataka Border Protection Commission, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Miniser H K Patil, who was recently appointed the nodal minister for the  Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary dispute, said the apex court would tentatively take up the case on January 20.

The Maharashtra government has filed a suit before the Supreme Court staking claim to 814 villages in Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Bidar and Kalaburagi districts.

Patil said the Maharashtra government’s case had several infirmities as the Constitution made it clear that Parliament was the sole forum to decide the boundaries of states.

Besides, the report submitted by the Mahajan Commission in 1967 had made it clear that Belagavi belonged to Karnataka.

The State’s case will be taken up by senior counsels Kapil Sibal, Uday Holla and State Advocate General Madhusudhan R Naik among others. Guidance from the chairperson of the Karnataka Border Protection Commission Justice S Rajendra Babu will also be sought to strengthen the States’ case, Patil said. Committee member and legal expert K N Bengeri made a presentation before the committee.