Karnataka seeks Centre nod for special courts to try land grabbing cases

They also seek to get Presidential nod for the Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Bill, 2011, passed by the legislature

Karnataka would try to prevail upon the Centre to allow it to set up special courts to try cases of encroachment of government land and to get Presidential nod for the Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Bill, 2011, passed by the legislature.

“I will visit Delhi to meet the Union Home Secretary to prevail over the importance of setting up special courts to try cases of encroachment of government land and to get Preside- ntial nod for the bill,” state Par- liamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said here. Jayachandra said the Centre sought a clarification in December 2012 on the setting up of a special court. “We have sent the clarification to them and also sent officials to meet the union Home Secretary,” he said.

He said the court would comprise DCs and judicial authorities, especially retired or serving judges in any court. The decision to set up the courts was taken after freedom fighter H S Doreswamy and former MLA A T Ramaswamy and others staged a protest in February in front of the chambers of Jayachandra demanding immediate steps to get Presidential assent for the Bill.

They had alleged that government was not serious about tackling land grabbing and was indifferent towards the Bill. Ramaswamy, who headed the Joint Legislature Committee on government land encroachment, had urged the ministers to act immediately, saying that in Bangalore, 8,834 acres of Revenue Department land was found to be encroached upon.

Ramaswamy had said powerful persons had also encroached the land with impunity and with the alleged help of government officials.