Karnataka High Court fines BBMP babu for being oversmart'

Bengaluru: For non-compliance of a high court order and acting ‘over smart’ by backdating an order passed by him, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh upon former BBMP Additional Director (Town Planning) M.B. Tipanna. 

The court has directed the retired official to pay Rs 50,000 to a resident's association and Rs 25,000 each to the Karnataka Legal Services Authority for the betterment of the poor and to vto be deposited with the Advocate Association, Bengaluru.

The case relates a resident's association which had approached the HC against a builder alleging that they were about to use a narrow road as access to the upcoming residential complex. Later, the court had directed Tipanna to hold a hearing.

Tipanna passed an order on August 20, 2016, that sanction plan was given in accordance with law, however, the residents claimed that they were not present when the order was passed. The residents later filed a contempt against Tipanna for non-compliance of the court orders.

During the proceedings, Tipanna in an affidavit admitted that though the order was dictated and kept ready on August 20, 2016, the same was signed only upon receipt of the contempt notice issued to him by the high court. He said that for the fear that the court may take a serious view of the matter, he asked his officers to immediately dispatch the orders.

Tipanna had agreed that the order was backdated as he was directed to pass the orders in two months time. The court while imposing cost, has said that strict action deserves to be taken for not only breaching but for playing ‘over smart’ with the court proceedings by backdating the order.

Breather to BSYThe High Court on Thursday has asked the Lokayukta police not to take any precipitative action against former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, till further orders. Mr Yeddyurappa had approached High Court seeking directions to quash the Lokayukta proceedings against him in a denotification case. The case is adjourned to July 24. In a complaint, Mr Yeddyurappa is accused of denotifying 1.11 acres of land in Mathadahalli near Gangenahalli which belonged to Thimma Reddy, Nagappa and Manuswamappa, to allegedly benefit former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy' relatives. It is alleged that Mr Kumaraswamy, who was the then chief minister, had pursued to denotify the land, however, it could not be done and when Yeddyurappa came to power in 2010, the land was denotified to allegedly benefit Mr Kumaraswamy's relatives, including his mother-in-law.

Job for blast victim The state government on Thursday submitted before the High Court that it has taken a decision to offer compassionate appointment for Malleswaram bomb blast victim Leesha in Group-C cadre.

However, the state sought time to identify the post for offer appointment. Following the submission, the court granted two weeks to the state government and adjourned the matter to July 20.