SC orders status quo on ex-CM’s buildings

SC orders status quo on ex-CM’s buildings

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi:Jan 3, 2013 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered for maintaining the status quo on buildings constructed on sites allotted by the BDA to former Karnataka chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda and Food and Civil Supplies Minister D N Jeevaraj in Bangalore.

A three-judge bench led by Justice D K Jain issued notice to K G Nagalakshmi Bai on their special leave petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order quashing the sanction plans for the buildings approved by the authorities.

Acting on a public interest litigation filed by Bai, the High Court on October 17 last also directed the B­angalore Development Authority to take action in three months against Gowda and Jeevaraj, a minister in the Jagadish Shettar Cabinet, over condition 4 of the lease-cum-sale agreement executed by them.

In the petition drafted by advocate Nishanth Patil, Gowda submitted that the High Court had committed an error in construing condition 4 of lease-cum-sale agreement of February 2, 2007, maintaining that there was no violation whatsoever of the condition in the initial sanction plan at all.

Senior advocates P P Rao and Basava Prabhu S Patil, appearing for Gowda and Jeevaraj submitted that the High Court cannot ask for surrendering the sites allotted to them. They contended that the High Court had erred in holding that construction was carried out without any plan.

The petitioner started construction of the building only after his initial plan was sanctioned, they submitted.

In his plea, Gowda contended that the writ petition was politically motivated and filed with the intention of harming his political career.

The apex court Bench also comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and M Y Iqbal sought the response of the petitioner on another plea seeking stay of the High Court’s order within four weeks.

 

Courtesy: Deccan Herald