Big blow to Karnataka as SC stays Akrama-Sakrama

Bengaluru: Following a special leave petition filed by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Rajeev Chandrasekhar challenging the Akrama-Sakrama laws in Karnataka, the Supreme Court on Friday granted interim protection that no applications made under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme shall be processed. Further, the court has granted a stay on the operation of the scheme until the appeal is heard by the Supreme Court. The top court had admitted the petition which is being converted to a civil appeal.

Counsel for BBMP and Karnataka presented their request for expediting the hearings, but that was not allowed.

Mr Chandrasekhar described it as a big win for Bengaluru! “This collusion around public money and land lies at the crux of corrupt politics in Bengaluru. Through Akrama-Sakrama, the government was more actively rewarding the culture of corruption. In its current form, the message was: A lawbreaker stands to benefit than a law-abiding citizen! It was designed to bail out builders, the rich and powerful from their illegalities, who instead of being punished under law were to benefit financially. The reality was that Akrama-Sakrama presented an avatar that legalised all illegalities of crooked real estate developers and other high income home owner-violators, which was opposite of what rule of law really entails where the law abiding citizens gain and lawbreakers are to be punished. In many ways, Akrama-Sakrama was symbolic of the failures of governance and how deep vested interests have corroded and entered every facet of governance. I have repeatedly urged the government to consider a rethought proposal for Akrama-Sakrama that ensures benefit for the poor only and not builders. This stay by the Supreme Court is a major win and dawns the symbol of hope and triumph, appropriately so with the onset of festival.”