BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court, in an interim on Thursday, said status quo should be maintained with regard to the heritage building Balabrooie Guest House, which has been proposed to be converted into a Constitution Club for legislators. The structure was constructed in the city in 1850.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum made it clear that the guest house shall not be allotted to any organisation and that no trees should be felled on the premises, till further orders.
The court was hearing an interlocutory application filed by Dattatraya T Devare and Bangalore Environment Trust against the plan to convert the Balabrooie Guest House, which houses large heritage trees which are more than 150-200 years old, into a Constitution Club.
During the hearing, the Additional Advocate General vehemently argued that no decision has been taken so far on converting the heritage building into a club and on felling of trees.
HC: Implead ASI in Balabrooie issue
How ever, the c our t said that the materials placed before the court prima facie show that there is a move to convert the guest house into a club and noted that the building in question is of great historic importance. “Till the next date of hearing, the authorities should maintain status quo.
The building should not be allotted to any organisation and no felling of trees/trimming of trees/cutting of shrubs should take place without leave of the court”, the bench said while passing the order to implead the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a respondent since it involves a heritage building.
The court also directed the BBMP to carry out tree census including in the Balabrooie premises, 7 Ministers’ Quarters, National Gallery of Modern Art and Chief Secretary’s House, and Horticulture Department to protect the green cover in the area and asked the civic body to submit a detailed report within four weeks.
In order to draw the attention of the court, the petitioners, who had filed PIL in 2018 against tree felling in the city, have filed interlocutory application now attaching media reports highlighting the imminent threat to the heritage building and trees, if the guest house is converted into a club.