Bellandur lake: NGO seeks lifting of stay on NGT proceedings

Namma Bengaluru Foundation has filed two interlocutory applications (IAs) in the High Court of Karnataka with a prayer to vacate the stay on the proceedings of National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The IAs state that NGT, New Delhi, has the jurisdiction to hear the plea on Bellandur lake. The high court had earlier granted stay on the proceedings of NGT in the petition filed by Shashi Distilleries Pvt Ltd. The petitioners contended that NGT, New Delhi, had passed the order without jurisdiction as the petition regarding pollution in Bellandur lake has to be heard by NGT Southern bench, Chennai.

NGT, New Delhi, had passed the order on April 19, 2017, in a petition filed by Rajya Sabha member D Kupendra Reddy directing the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to close down the industries that were polluting the lake.

The IA states that NGT, Southern branch, had withdrawn from hearing the matter and had recused to hear the plea, accordingly the matter was transferred from NGT, Chennai, to New Delhi. The IA states that it is the Principal bench of the NGT which had taken suo motu proceedings of the Bellandur lake pollution matter where the tribunal members had personally visited and inspected the lake.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar said that they would hear the IA along with the main petition.