Land to Amrutanandamayee Trust: Karnataka HC raps state govt for modifying conditions

The High Court of Karnataka has taken a serious view of the state government’s decision altering the conditions of the land grant to Matha Amrutanandamayee Trust at Kasavanahalli in Bengaluru East taluk, 21 years after the land was granted.

The government order allotting the land was issued in 2000 and a modified order issued in April 2021, ignoring the court direction in a PIL.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka was hearing the PIL filed by Kavita and others in 2019 alleging that instead of constructing super speciality hospital, houses for poor widows, the trust is running an engineering college on the property.

A report was submitted by the state government on February 22, 2021, recording that a large number of violations had been committed by the Trust of the terms and conditions on which the property was allotted.

Subsequently, on April 23, 2021, the court had directed the Deputy Commissioner to initiate appropriate action against the Trust for violating conditions in the order dated September 20, 2000. However, a fresh government order was passed on April 29, 2021, modifying the conditions of the grant, stating that the land can be used for educational purposes.

"Thus, prima facie we are of the view that the order dated 29 April 2021, has been passed by the state government for overreaching the orders passed by this court, especially the order dated 23 April 2021," the bench said.

The court directed the principal secretary, the revenue department, to file an affidavit explaining the conduct of the government. The court has posted the matter for further consideration to July 5.