Bandh called off after High Court terms it illegal

The Bengaluru Bandh on Sunday was called off soon after the Karnataka High Court declared it unconstitutional and illegal.

Vatal Nagaraj of Kannada Okkuta, which had called for the bandh, said on Friday, "We welcome the court order. But we have decided to observe Sunday as a black day. The Okkuta will take out a protest march from Freedom Park to Palace Grounds demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention on the Mahadayi issue."

He accused the BJP of conspiring against Kannada activists and preventing them from staging protests on the Mahadayi issue.

Earlier in the day, the high court directed the state government and law enforcement agencies to take preventive measures to ensure that commerce, industry, public transport and the common man are not affected by the bandh.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar issued the directions while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Shraddha Parents Association seeking directions to restrain the proposed bandh called by Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, a pro-Kannada outfit.

They had called for the bandh seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to settle the Mahadayi water dispute. The PM is expected to arrive in Bengaluru on February 4.

The high court referred to a ruling of the Supreme Court which had declared bandhs as illegal and unconstitutional and had observed that they violate the constitutional rights of citizens.

The petitioner had also sought for directions to Vatal Nagaraj and similar protesting groups to deposit Rs 500 crore as security.