Court to Bangalore Development Authority: Don’t terrorise people

The Karnataka high court on Friday pulled up the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for dealing with land acquisition in a rash manner. “You can take any measure as per law but not by bulldozing, terrorising measures,” Justice DV Shylendra Kumar said.

The court was hearing a clutch of petitions filed by a few residents of RMV II stage, Geddalahalli village (BBMP ward number 100), accusing the BDA of demolishing their houses on May 15, 2010.

Justice Kumar observed that the BDA had left out about 443 acres with unauthorised occupation and focused on six-seven acres on which the petitioners’ houses were. He said it was a classic case of a public authority resorting to rash action.

The court restrained the BDA from taking any coercive action to evict the petitioners. The court had ordered that Rs2 lakh be paid to those whose RCC houses were demolished and Rs1 lakh to those whose houses with asbestos roof were demolished.

Further, the court quashed the allotment of about one acre of land to a close relative of a sitting legislator, which had been allotted in lieu of land of similar size that was acquired from them in Madiwala village in 1970s.