Karnataka HC disposes petition challenging appointment of judge as special court judicial member
Bengaluru (PTI): The High Court of Karnataka on Friday disposed of a petition challenging the appointment of judge C G Hungund as Judicial Member of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court.
The petition challenging the appointment was withdrawn by the petitioner following which the case was disposed of.
The state government had removed Hungund from the post and, therefore, it was not necessary to proceed with the petition, the petitioner said in a memo filed before the court.
"The petitioner in the matter most humbly submits that during the pendency of the writ petition, the government has issued the order removing the fourth respondent from the post of judicial member by its order dated 21.09.2023 and the same has been communicated to the undersigned recently," petitioner Umapathi said in his memo filed before the division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S
Dixit.
The memo further said, "The relief sought in the petition is fulfilled and the matter may be treated as disposed of in the interest of justice and equity."
Placing the memo on record, the HC disposed of the petition.
The PIL filed by advocate Umapathi S challenging the appointment order dated 21.10.2022 claimed that the retired district judge was ineligible for the post. It was claimed that since Hungund had already served as a member of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission between 2012 and 2017, he cannot be appointed to another quasi-judicial forum.
The division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice MGS Kamal had issued notice to the government in this regard earlier in August 2023.
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New trains to ease crowding on Namma Metro Purple-Green lines in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Commuters on the crowded Namma Metro Purple and Green lines may soon get relief, as the Railway Board has issued provisional sanction for induction of new train sets, Deccan Herald reported.
The Railway Board communicated the provisional sanction to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in a letter on April 1, raising hopes that additional trains could be deployed during peak hours by May-June.
According to the Railway Board, the approval comes with conditions, including a maximum speed of 80 kmph in fully inflated mode and 25 kmph in deflated mode of the secondary air spring.
The BMRCL will also need a separate sanction from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) by submitting the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) report confirming the trains’ integration, operation, and compatibility with the Direct To Go (DTG) signalling and train control system for the Purple and Green lines.
The BMRCL has received three DTG trains, including a prototype delivered in January 2025, for the Purple and Green lines. The trains must pass 37 statutory clearances before entering passenger service.
The BMRCL had approached the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), under the Ministry of Railways, to conduct statutory trials related to oscillation, braking, speed and system integration tests for the trains. The CMRS will issue the final sanction after receiving the ISA certificate.
Officials said the ISA certification process is already underway, with new signalling software currently being tested. Final approvals are expected by May-June, after which the trains can be introduced into service.
The new trains have been supplied by China's CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd, which will deliver a total of 21 trains for the Purple and Green lines in partnership with the West Bengal-based Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL). Currently, the network operates with 57 trains supplied by BEML.
