High Court Dismisses Pleas to Quash Land-Grabbing Case
On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court upheld the continuation of a land-grabbing case involving former Congress minister M.C. Chowdareddy and former Chintamani municipality commissioner B.H. Narayanappa. The court, presided over by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, raised questions about the exclusion of Chowdareddy’s sons, M.C. Balaji and M.C. Sudhakar, the latter a current Congress MLA, from the list of accused.
Justice Nagaprasanna expressed concern over the absence of the sons, stating, “Though the material prima facie discloses that M.C. Balaji and M.C. Sudhakar were direct beneficiaries, both stand conspicuously absent from the array of accused. How beneficiaries of allegedly grabbed Government land remain outside the dragnet of crime is a matter that raises serious concern.” Consequently, the court dismissed the petitions seeking to quash the criminal case initiated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in 2017.
Court Orders Prompt Conclusion of Investigation
The High Court instructed the investigating agency to complete its probe within six months. It emphasized that land grabbing by those in power undermines public trust in governance, and thus, the investigation must not be hindered. “Land grabbing by ordinary citizens is a serious illegality. Land grabbing by those clothed with political power strikes at something far deeper—it erodes public faith in governance itself. When custodians of public trust become beneficiaries of alleged public wrongs, this Court cannot permit investigation to be throttled at inception in a matter of such gravity,” Justice Nagaprasanna remarked.
Background of the Dispute
The case revolves around a parcel of government land measuring 1 acre and 18 guntas in Chintamani taluk’s Kannampalli village, originally classified as unarable in 1965-66. The Chowdareddy family, who owned adjacent lands, allegedly encroached on this government land. After Chowdareddy became an MLA in 1989, he sought to convert his family’s agricultural lands to non-agricultural lands, during which the government land was reportedly encroached upon and divided among his sons.
Further allegations suggest that M.C. Balaji executed an unregistered general power of attorney, facilitating the transfer of the land to the Government Employees House Building Co-operative Society. A complaint from a Chintamani Municipal Council councillor triggered the investigation.
Legal Representation and Proceedings
The petitioners were represented by Senior Advocate Y.R. Sadashiva Reddy, along with Advocates Deepak J. and B.K. Manjunath. High Court Government Pleader Thejesh P. represented the State, while Special Public Prosecutor Venkatesh Arbatti appeared for the Karnataka Lokayukta and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Advocates Keerthy Reddy, Mayur D. Bhanu, and Padmanabha J. represented the complainant.
The High Court, in its decision, highlighted the improper treatment of government land as private property, noting that “sites were formed, sites were sold, khatas were issued, and third-party interests were created.” The court underscored the necessity to continue the probe against Narayanappa, the former Town Municipal Council Commissioner.
[Read Judgment]
