BENGALURU: THE Information Officer of Karnataka High Court informed an RTI activist that there is no visiting card/business card available in their office of the person, who came to the official residence of Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee on Palace Road and allegedly made him a bribe offer.
In his letter on July 12, RTI activist S Bhaskaran had sought a certified copy of the visiting card that the Chief Justice produced when recusing himself from hearing a revision petition related to Umrah Developers.
Bhaskaran sought a copy of the visiting after a sensational disclosure was made by Justice Mukherjee on July 5 in the open court hall that a person had offered him money in a land case. The card was also displayed in the court hall on that day. In reply dated July 28, the Office of the State Public Information Officer and Deputy Registrar, High Court, informed the activist that there was no such visiting card on record.
S Bhaskaran and Jayakumar Hiremath, who is also an RTI activist, filed a private complaint before the Lokayukta Special Court, seeking directions to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) or High Grounds Police to conduct an investigation. They approached the court after High Grounds police refused to register a complaint. The Special Court is likely to pass the order on Saturday.
PIL dismissed
On July 22, the division bench of Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath had dismissed a PIL seeking directions to the Registrar of High Court to evolve proper guidelines/procedure to prevent people visiting judges’ residences and offering bribes to get favourable judgment.
Report on police excess victims
THE High Court on Friday asked the Chief Superintendents of Ballari and Bidar jails to submit a report by Monday on the medical condition and treatment provided to more than 200 victims of police highhandedness at Yamanur in Dharwad district. Justice A N Venugopala Gowda issued this direction after asking the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission what further action was to be taken with regard to police excesses on farmers, women, children and elderly people, during an agitation against the verdict in the Mahadayi water dispute. Justice Gowda also said that he is expecting the Karnataka State Police Complaints Authority to hold a enquiry and have an interaction with the victims in the village. He asked that a report be sumitted to the government and a copy be given to the court.
Status quo on UoM teaching staff notification
The High Court on Friday ordered the Department of Higher Education and University of Mysore to maintain status quo on the notification for appointment of teaching staff of the varsity.
This came after hearing of a interlocutory application (IA) filed in the writ petition seeking regularisation of the services by teaching staff H P Shivegowda and 21 others. Justice B S Patil ordered the varsity to maintain status quo, before adjourning the matter to August 25 for further hearing. The petitioners, who were guest/temporary lecturers, had approached the High Court against non-regularisation of their services.