BENGALURU: Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, who is among the nine judges to be elevated to the Supreme Court, has played a significant role in upholding the rights of citizens, farmers and other litigants.
He prodded the state to take a policy decision on paying compensation of Rs 5 lakh to families of farmers who committed suicide unable to pay debts obtained from private money lenders. Till then, the government was paying compensation only in case of loans obtained from banks.
He also took up the matter of interim compensation to victims of the Chamarajanagar oxygen tragedy. This apart, his other major judgments include on manual scavenging, protection of child rights, 1 per cent reservation for transgenders in government jobs.
When a few Bar Associations boycotted courts, he told them, “We are working for the common man.. if proceedings are boycotted, litigants will suffer”. He also got judges to use the term ‘trial courts’ instead of ‘lower courts’.
Justice Oka also passed orders on several issues like cutting of trees, noise and lake pollution. Justice B V Nagarathna, who has been elevated to the Supreme Court, is the third senior judge of Karnataka High Court. A bench headed by her had struck down a rule in the Karnataka Municipal Election Rules by upholding the notification of the state that there is no infirmity in reserving seats for women for the president and vice-president posts, thereby negating an argument that there cannot be reservation for women in both posts.
The bench had also directed the government to set up special courts to try cases booked under POCSO Act. She struck down lifetime tax on motor vehicles and amendment introducing domicile reservation in National Law School of India University (NLSIU) holding it to be a national level institution and preserving its autonomy.
Very recently, she held that illegitimate children are also entitled to be considered for compassionate appointment. In another judgment, she directed to refund Forest Direct Tax collected without authority of law and against Article 265.
The bench headed by her delivered many other important judgments in matters like land acquisition, administrative law, service and labour, tax and revenue, environment, Constitutional and fundamental rights, banking and commercial law, criminal law, motor vehicles and family law.
Covid-related PILs
Justice Nagarathna, who was also the part of benches dealing with Covid-related PILs, potholes, solid waste management, is currently the president of Karnataka Judicial Academy, chairperson of Juvenile Justice Committee and Committee Overseeing Implementation of POCSO Act.
Born to former CJI Justice E S Venkataramaiah and Padma in October 30, 1962, Justice Nagarathna had her schooling in Benglauru and further studies in New Delhi. She started practice as a lawyer in 1987.