Bengaluru business corridor: Farmers submit over 1,000 objections to Bangalore Development Authority
Bengaluru: In what could be seen as a collective show of strength, thousands of landowners have collectively submitted more than 1,000 objections to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), raising concerns about the legal validity and compensation framework of the proposed 74-kilometer Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, now rebranded as the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC).
The objections have been formally submitted to the BDA, and the landowners are now demanding that these grievances be presented to the Karnataka High Court.
“The court has given us a date (December 2) for hearing regarding the objections we have filed and also directed the officials to not conduct any survey related to project,” The New Indian Express quoted Mavallipura Srinivas, President of the PRR Raitha Haagu Niveshanadarara Sangha (Farmers and Site owners association), as saying.
Farmers from various villages along the PRR's proposed alignment gathered at the BDA office to submit both individual and consolidated objections. Many of them have accused the BDA of launching what they describe as an "illegal land grab," asserting that the project is a violation of their rights.
The farmers' objections center on three main points: first, that the PRR scheme has legally lapsed, as the BDA failed to pass land acquisition awards within the required five-year period; second, that the wrong acquisition law is being applied; and third, that the state's recently announced "five-option" compensation package is both unlawful and discriminatory.
According to the farmers quoted in the report, the PRR scheme, approved in 2007, automatically lapsed under Section 27 of the BDA Act, 1976, because the BDA failed to pass land acquisition awards within the required five-year period. They argue that any attempt to continue land acquisition under this lapsed scheme is unconstitutional and contradicts established legal precedent.
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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
