New Delhi: (IANS) In a relief to Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the Supreme Court on Friday set aside the Karnataka High Court verdict directing the Bangalore Development Authority to take back the possession of a residential plot allotted to him.
Allowing appeals against the high court order that held that construction at the plot was in violation of the terms and conditions of the lease agreement, an apex court bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice S.A. Bobde said the high court order was not sustainable in law.
The apex court on October 29 had reserved its order on the plea by Sadananda Gowda and former state civil supplies minister D.N. Jeevaraj challenging the high court order.
In its October 19, 2012 order, the high court had directed the BDA to take action against Gowda and Jeevaraj for constructing one amalgamated building on two adjacent plots allotted to them instead of separate residential structures as per the terms and conditions of the lease agreement.
The implementation of the high court was stayed by the apex court in 2013.
The high court had also quashed the building plans sanctioned by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) favouring them.
Gowda was allotted the plot on October 20, 2006 when he was deputy leader of the opposition in Karnataka assembly.
The October 2012 high court order followed a PIL by K.G. Nagalaxmi Bai.
D.V. Sadananda Gowda, the Law Minister who is supposed to uphold the law, breaks it. What more can you expect from the Law Minister?
When he was the Minister of Railways, I had written to him questioning him the need to have 1,700,000 employees on the payroll, making the Indian Railways the second largest employer after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. He just did not respond. There are many Railway employees, especially those in workshops, who come, signed the muster and go out and do their private work or work for private employers. They have arrangements with their superiors for these arrangemens and they pay a part of their salaries. It is the case of, “We scratch your backs and you scratch ours.” Only, when there is inspection, they are at work. Such is the pathetic state of affairs.