BDA to rope in law firm to handle court cases

At present, the Authority has over 6,000 cases pending against it at various courts.
BDA to rope in law firm to handle court cases

BENGALURU: Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has, for the first time, decided to reach out for legal help from outside to manage the overwhelming number of cases filed against it, said a reliable BDA source. At present, the Authority has over 6,000 cases pending against it at various courts.

“Due to the sheer number of cases filed against us, it is becoming impossible to keep track of each one and follow up. This often leads to BDA officials, including the Commissioner, missing out on appearances that later amount to contempt of court. Hence, we have decided to invite a law firm to set up shop inside our premises.” This is the first time in BDA’s history that they have decided upon such a plan, he added.

Tenders have already been called, the source said. “The BDA has an in-house legal team with a law office too. We recently decided to retain just 40 of the 180 panel officers. Despite such a huge number, we ended up missing mandatory duties the court had ordered us to carry out. Hence, we downsized their number,” he said.

BDA Commissioner Rajesh Gowda confirmed the development. “We have nearly 3,500 petitions and writ appeals against us in the High Court, another 2,500 in civil courts and around 250 cases in the Supreme Court. So we’ve decided to hire a legal team to help us.”

The team will be based inside the BDA premises. There would be considerable work for the team, including liaisoning between specific advocates and BDA officials, ensuring compliance with court orders and adhering to advisories. The Apex Court had, on a few occasions last year, hit out at the BDA for not paying attention to the orders issued by it.

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