BENGALURU: Amid a heated debate over land-grabbing in Karnataka, specially in Bengaluru, Minister for Home and Law & Parliamentary Affairs, Basavaraj Bommai, said he will set up a dedicated team of lawyers for land-related cases if the Revenue department sought one.
Janata Dal Secular MLA
A T Ramaswamy tore into the government for refusing to crack down, either on the real estate mafia and land-grabbers, or government officials who are involved in illegal land registration. Ramaswamy demanded action against land-grabbers under the Goonda Act.
‘Need new law to beat land mafia’
The JDS MLA was referring to the alleged inefficiency of government lawyers to win even those cases with merit and recover government properties. As he read out a statement from the Revenue Secretary saying that lawyers, despite being prepped, didn’t speak up before judges, Bommai rose to say that the Revenue Department should seek dedicated lawyers. “I assure you I will appoint a team of lawyers just for land-related cases within 24 hours if the Revenue Secretary and the department write a letter to me,” he said.
Ramaswamy said funds twice the size of the State’s budget for 2021-2022 can be recovered from land sharks if there is a crackdown on them by filing criminal cases. “All of the state’s wealth is lying with them. If action is taken against them, ministers won’t have to fight for every `100 crore. Recovery from them can bring enough money for a budget of two years. If that isn’t so, I will never step foot in the Assembly,” he said.
Revenue Minister
R Ashoka, speaking on land-grabbing, said that the only solution is to bring in a new law that will eliminate the option of securing stay orders from courts.