Akrama-Sakrama: BBMP to file review plea to get stay vacated

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will file a review petition in the Supreme Court to get the stay on the Akrama-Sakrama scheme vacated.

BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad told DH on Friday that the Palike was in the process of issuing notification to receive applications from individuals to regularise their buildings. “After the Supreme Court order, we have put the notification on hold,” said Prasad.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar hailed the Supreme Court order staying the Akrama-Sakrama scheme.

Chandrasekhar had approached the Supreme Court after the Karnataka High Court dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the scheme, meant to regularise unauthorised structures on revenue lands as well as buildings constructed in violation of sanctioned building plan.

In a statement, Chandrasekhar said, “Through Akrama-Sakrama, the government was more actively rewarding the culture of corruption. In its current form, the message was: a lawbreaker stands to benefit instead of a law-abiding citizen! it was designed to bail out builders, the rich and powerful from their illegalities, who instead of being punished under law were set to benefit financially. The reality was that Akrama-Sakrama presented an avatar that legalised all illegalities of crooked real estate developers and other high income home owner-violators; which was opposite of what rule of law really entails where the law abiding citizens gain and lawbreakers are to be punished.” (sic)