Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ordered notices to the state government and its various other departments following a petition filed by Mr B.C. Narayana Swamy and A.C. Shivaraju, who have sought directions for a probe against Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, his family members and others over alleged illegal granite quarrying.
The petitioners have alleged that Mr Shivakumar, his family and others indulged in illegal granite quarrying in Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Magadi and Channapatna. The quarrying was carried out by encroaching forest lands that resulted in a huge loss to the state’s exchequer, they alleged.
The case has been adjourned to September 1.
Name board PIL disposed of
The high court on Monday disposed of a PIL on the removal of a name board in Yellur village in Belgaum district bordering Maharashtra. The court disposed of the plea after the state government filed an affidavit stating that the board had been removed by the district administration and that the law and order situation in the village was under control.
Rs 1 lakh cost imposed
The High Court on Monday dismissed a PIL alleging irregularities in Ramachandrapura Math. The court also imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 each on ASTRA (Association for Social Transparency, Rights and Action), a non-profit organisation, and Sri Kshethra Gokarna Rakshana Samithi represented by Chandan.
The petitioners had sought for a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the math. The Gokarna Welfare Committee had earlier pleaded to withdraw from the PIL and committee’s advocate K.N. had sought permission to retire from the matter. But the court had rejected their plea for withdrawal of PIL.
The advocate representing the math told the court that Mallikarjun Patil and Chandan were trying to blackmail the math and demanded Rs 10 crore to withdraw the PIL.
