Sakala Act: Karnataka High Court directs state to file status report on pending applications

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to file a status report within four weeks clearly indicating the number of pending applications under the Sakala Act.

“The date on which such applications were filed; and the estimated time required for disposal of the same,” a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and CM Joshi said in the order.

The bench passed this order in a PIL filed by S Gowri Shankar, a resident of Bengaluru city. The petitioners had raised several issues in this 2022 petition including the implementation of Sakala Act. He submitted that the Sakala Act is not being implemented sufficiently and none of the applications are disposed of within time and the applications are also pending.

Among the other prayers, the petitioner had also sought directions to pass an order to the effect that interest penalties levied on property owners due to delays by authorities should be returned to the taxpayers or adjusted against future tax. The process to claim a refund should be formulated and informed to eligible property owners so that they can apply for a refund if applicable, the petitioner stated.

However, the court said it is not persuaded to accept that any such prayer can be considered in vacuum. “In the event any particular taxpayer is aggrieved by imposition of interest despite delay on the part of the respondents, he would be entitled to seek appropriate remedies. Thus, no order is required to be passed in respect of the petitioner's second prayer,” the bench said.