Appointment of C G Hungund as special court judge cancelled, Karnataka govt tells HC

Bengaluru: The state government has informed the high court that the appointment of C G Hungund as judicial member of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court, Bengaluru, has been cancelled by a notification issued on October 7, 2023.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit disposed of the PIL filed by city advocate S Umapathi, taking the notification on record.

Hungund, a retired district judge, was appointed as a judicial member in the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court, Bengaluru, on October 21, 2022. Umapathi S, a Bengaluru-based advocate, challenged this appointment. It was contented that as C G Hungund had already served as a member of Karnataka State Human Rights Commission from November 29, 2012 till November 28, 2017. And, thus under section 24(3) of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, he is ineligible to hold any office either under the state government or the central government.