BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the state government on a public interest litigation against grant of two acres land for Congress Bhavan Trust (CBT) in Tumakuru for a throwaway price of Rs 17 lakh as against market value of Rs 23 crore in heart of Tumakuru town that too when the Trust was not existent as on the date of the grant and even without application of grant.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha passed the order to issue notice to the Department of Revenue, Urban Development Department, Deputy Commissioner of Tumakuru, Commissioner of Tumakuru Mahanagara Palike, Directorate of Municipal Administration and CBT.
This was after hearing the petition filed by Gopalakrishna N N, a real estate businessman from Sharadadevi Nagar in Tumakuru, alleging that no action was taken on the alleged grant of land violating norms despite his submission of a representation to the departments concerned of the state government in January this year. As no action was taken, there were hurried attempts to change the nature of the land by putting up construction, the petitioner alleged.
According to the petitioner, two acres of land bearing survey no. 87/1 and another two acres of land bearing survey no.87/2 of Maralur village in Tumakuru Hobli were acquired in 1942 for a public purpose by the then Maharaja of Mysore. Now, two acres bearing survey no. 87/2 stands in the name of Tumakuru Mahanagara Palike.
Home Minister G Parameshwara, a few office bearers and workers of the Congress floated Rajiv Gandhi Urban and Rural Development Trust (RGURT), which was registered in August 2023. Within a month, an undated letter was submitted by its president to the Deputy Commissioner for the grant of one acre of the land bearing survey no.87, on the grounds that the trust has been working for the past 10 years.
When the matter was placed before the cabinet, to accept or reject the proposal for the grant of land to RGURT, the Chief Minister, on May 22, 2025, took a decision to grant two acres at 5 percent of the guidance value to an unknown CBT and not to RGURT. Within five days, on May 27, 2025, a government order was issued granting 2 acres to CBT and the same was registered on June 21, 2025, said the petitioner.