New Delhi: Former Forest Minister of Karnataka C H Vijayashankar will be able to keep the site allotted to him under “G Category” by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in 2006, as per a Karnataka High Court decision, news agency PTI reported. The matter was heard by the division bench of Justice G Narendar and Justice Vijaykumar A Patil.
The High Court in 2012 had declared that the sites allotted by BDA under ‘G Category’ were illegal. However, the Karnataka government amended the Rules in 2022 and according to the amended Rules, all allotments made since 2005 were allowed to be valid. Based on this, the High Court allowed a plea by the former minister and quashed an inquiry order that cancelled the allotment.
According to the report, Vijayashankar was allotted a 40 ft x 60 ft site at HSR, Sector 3, Bengaluru on October 9, 2006. The minister claimed to have paid the sale consideration to the BDA.
A plea filed in the High Court in 2010 challenged the action of the Karnataka government and the Bangalore Development Authority in allotting “stray sites” under G Category to various persons, following which, the court declared the sites allotted by BDA under G Category to be illegal.
Based on the court order, a panel was formed to consider the applications made under G Category. After an inquiry, the committee declared that the former minister was not eligible for allotment and recommended to the BDA to cancel it and take over the site.
However, on April 13, 2022, the Karnataka government issued a notification amending Rule 10 of the Bangalore Development Authority (Allotment of Sites) Rules, and by virtue of this order, the allotment made to Vijayashankar became legal.
Based on this, the minister moved the court. The BDA did not dispute his counsel’s arguments and allowed the petition. The order of the committee was quashed thereafter, PTI reported.