B M Kaval forest: Karnataka HC disposes govt’s appeal

Bengaluru: A division bench of the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday disposed of the state government’s appeal against the single-bench order directing revenue authorities to enter one MB Nemanna Gowda’s name for 532 acres and 15 guntas of land at BM Kaval village in Kengeri-3 hobli, Bengaluru South taluk. 

The bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Poonacha noted that it was for the revenue authorities concerned to examine whether the occupancy rights were indeed granted to Gowda in 1973. 

In its writ appeal, the government contended that Gowda had filed a petition in the high court on August 13, 2025, seeking a direction to the tahsildar to enter his name in the RTCs for 532.15 acres as per an order of regrant dated December 20, 1973. 

On August 30, the single bench, on the first date of hearing and without providing an opportunity to file statement of objections, directed the tahsildar to verify the records, and if occupancy rights had been granted in favour of the petitioner, it was the bounden duty of the revenue authorities to enter his name in the revenue
records. 

Appearing for the state, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty submitted that 1,382.18 acres of land in BM Kaval village was declared a state forest in preliminary and final notifications in 1933 and 1935, respectively. 

He noted that BM Kaval was not a Jodi Inam village and therefore no application for grant of occupancy rights could have been
entertained.

He further said that the documents relied upon by Gowda in his petition were, on their face, suspicious
and forged.

He further informed the bench that Gowda was a habitual litigant/land grabber, who had filed numerous similar writ petitions claiming rights over 17,000 acres of forest land. 

After perusing the single-judge order, the division bench noted that the single-bench direction was subject to the direction issued in the preceding paragraph, where it had directed the revenue authorities to verify whether the occupancy rights were issued in favour of Gowda.