BENGALURU: Acting on public interest litigation questioning the transfer of Puttenahalli Lake Bird Conservation Reserve to the BBMP, the Karnataka HC on Monday said the state government needs to justify whether the reserve can be transferred to the civic agency. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty said that prima facie it appears that the control of the reserve cannot be handed over to the BBMP. In fact, under Section 33-B of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the state government is under obligation to set up a conservation reserve management committee to advise the chief wildlife warden, the bench said. The petition was filed by Yelahanka Puttenahalli Lake and Bird Conservation Trust.
‘Courts will be shut if lawyers don’t follow SOP’ Observing that courts will have to be closed if lawyers continue to throng them without appointment, as per SOP, the Karnataka HC on Monday said that lawyers need not come to court, unless there is a case or have to file one physically. This too should be done after taking appointments as per SOP issued by the HC.
While hearing the suo motu PIL registered to address technical issues via video conferencing, where Chairman of Karnataka State Bar Council Anil Kumar J M was also present, Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka said, “We are late because I had to rush to Gate No. 5 where a group of advocates had created a scene seeking entry into the court premises and did not want the appointment system”, adding that if this is the situation, then the court will have to be closed.