BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into which authority was responsible for the demolition of shanties on private land in Kariyammana Agrahara on Sunday.
Hearing a PIL filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Karnataka on Wednesday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar also passed an interim order restraining authorities from evicting the residents of shanties in Bellandur Ward.
The bench made it clear that any action the BBMP takes against illegal occupants should be strictly in accordance with the law, under Section 321 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act and directed the petitioner to implead the owner of the property as a respondent.
The bench said that the issue started with the police issuing a notice to property owner Chetan (Babu) but the demolition was initiated by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.
BBMP counsel KN Puttegowda, however, informed the court that BBMP officials had not ordered the demolition.
No BBMP officials were present at the spot, he said. The bench also issued notice to the chief secretary, principal secretaries to the departments of home and housing, police commissioner, Marathahalli police inspector and BBMP.
The bench directed the state to produce the file containing the notice issued by the police.
It also directed Marathahalli police inspector to file objections explaining the source of the statutory provision under which notice was issued to Chetan and also on what basis he had stated that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were living on the property in question.
The bench directed the BBMP and Marathahalli AEE to file statements about which agency demolished the structures, and the local police officer should make it clear as to what transpired.