Acharya is new KSPCB chief

The state government informed the high court on Thursday that they issued a notification stating that Dr Vaman Acharya would be the new chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).

After hearing this, the court disposed of a petition which challenged the government’s earlier decision to appoint environment principal secretary Shreedharan as president of the board.

Since the term of AS Sadashivayya, KSPCB’s current president, expired, the government had approved the appointment of Shreedharan as in-charge of the board.

However, the petitioner contended that for occupying this post, one should have a master’s degree in science. Shreedharan did not have that qualification and hence he was not qualified for the post, the petitioner said. The high court, in its previous hearing, gave an interim direction that Sadashivayya be allowed to continue in the post until a suitable candidate was appointed.

The state government, on Thursday, informed the high court that they had issued a notification on September 18 announcing that Acharya would be the new chairman of the board. The state government contended that he qualified for the post.
Fix realistic fines for waste disposal violators

The high court, on Thursday, asked the civic authorities to put in place realistic penalities for those who violate garbage disposal rules from households to collection points to landfills.

GR Mohan, a city-based advocate, filed a petition in the high court contending that the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was not taking effective steps for proper disposal of garbage which resulted in their pile-ups and subsequent health hazards.

The division bench headed by chief justice Vikramajit Sen directed the BBMP and other authorities to take strict punitive action against any violation by citizens .

“Before the next hearing, we expect that realistic penalities shall be put in place for violation of garbage disposal methods and also violation by authorities engaged in the removal of garbage from household to collection points and from collection points to land fill sites,” the bench told the authorities. It then directed the BBMP and the state government to file a status report one day prior to the next hearing. The case has been listed on October 9.

HC upholds order to judges to retire
The Karnataka high court, on Thursday, upheld the order issued on June 23, 2009 by the then governor Rameshwar Thakur which told 15 civil judges to retire in public interest on various grounds including corruption and inefficiency.

However, the judicial officers challenged the order before a single judge.

The single judge, on January 3, 2012, quashed the notification asking them to retire and directed that 10 of the judicial officers be reinstated along with benefits.

The state government had then filed an appeal