SC junks plea against use of National College Grounds for non-sport events

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition by the Shankarapuram Residents’ Welfare Association against the use of the National College Grounds in Basavanagudi for non-sport activities such as political rallies.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and  D Y Chandrachud dismissed the special leave petition filed by the association against the judgement given by the High Court of Karnataka on July 28, 2017.

Advocate Gaurav Kejriwal, representing the association, challenged the rejection of a writ petition by the high court, which did not see any “irrationality or illegality” in granting permission for organising non-sport activities in the playground that belongs to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The apex court did not see any reason to interfere in the high court’s decision. The petitioner maintained that the BBMP permits the use of the playground in question for non-sport activities such as exhibitions, fairs and community events.

As the playground is situated in the midst of a residential locality, the participation of large numbers of people in non-sport activities causes inconvenience to residents. It also causes a traffic hazard and renders the area untidy as there are no toilets in the playground, the association said.

“The playground, an open land in question, belongs to the municipal authority. Cultural and other activities for the benefit of the citizen also have their importance.

“The municipal authority, in its wisdom, has restricted the permission to use the ground in question for activities other than sports for the maximum period of five days in a month,” the high court noted while dismissing the association’s contention.