Deve Gowda wants to be heard in NICE case

Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda wants to be heard in the petition filed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Limited (NICE). He has filed an application to be impleaded in the proceedings of NICE petition in the Karnataka high court.

NICE had knocked the high court’s doors challenging the Lokayukta court’s directions of probe in the NICE project. Justice HN Nagamohan Das, in an earlier hearing of the case, had recused himself from hearing.

The case came up for hearing Tuesday before Justice H Billappa. The case was adjourned to November 26 and notices issued to the complainant TJ Abraham. The court also directed that objections should be filed by November 26. It issued a notice to the Lokayukta police too.

The counsel for Deve Gowda argued that Deve Gowda wants to be heard in the petition because he does not want the investigation by the Lokayukta police to stop. Gowda wants the investigation to go on against him and the others to bring out the truth and to know who is guilty in the case. The application will be considered on November 26.

The Lokayukta court had on October 25 directed to investigate the NICE road illegal land grab case based on the private complaint filed by Abraham. The Lokayukta court had ordered probe against 30 persons, including Deve Gowda, external affairs minister SM Krishna and NICE managing director Ashok Kheny. The court had also ordered to confiscate the land and toll amount collect in last two years.

Case background

On July 18, 2012, social activist TJ Abraham filed a complaint with the court, stating that while constructing the NICE road, the land was grabbed illegally. The land belonged to poor people and farmers. It was purchased for lesser price than the market value. NICE, for its project, had acquired 20,193 acres of land, of which it illegally encroached about 5,972 acre. Abraham had filed the complaint along with the documents to the court.

Plea on B’lore-Karwar train disposed of

The high court on Tuesday disposed of a petition that had called for the Bangalore-to-Mangalore train service to be extended till Karwar via the Konkan railway track.

Shankar S Bhat and others had filed a public interest petition in the high court. They contended that there was no direct night train service from Bangalore to Udupi, Kundapur, Bhatkal, Honnavar, Kumta, Gokarn and Karwar. The petitioners strongly felt that the Union government and the state government were not giving enough priority to the extension and maintenance of railways network in the costal districts of the state.

The state government submitted that railways had already put into commission overnight service from Bangalore to Karwar via Mangalore, where the train was bifurcated, one towards Karwar and the other Kannur.

The division bench headed by chief justice Vikramajit Sen observed that no further orders had been called for and the petition was disposed of accordingly.

Don’t give bail to Madani: SPP

Referring to a request of Abdul Nasser Madani, accused of bomb blasts that rocked the city in 2008, the special public prosecutor told the high court that he should not be given bail on health grounds. The court reserved the judgment on the issue.

Madani has certain health complications and needs medical care. He had filed an application with the high court contending that the government was not taking care of his health, adding that he wanted to avail of treatment on his own, at his own expense.

Earlier, Madani had sought bail on health grounds.

When the case came up for hearing in the HC on Tuesday, special public prosecutor HS Chandramouli submitted before the court that the government has no objection if Madani wants to take treatment on his own, but he need not be granted bail for that. Also, police security should be with him when he goes to hospitals of his own choice for treatment.

After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its judgment on Madani’s request that he be allowed to avail of treatment on his own.