The Karnataka state government’s dilatory tactics during litigation came under flak in the Karnataka high court on Friday, when chief justice JS Khehar observed that the government might abandon its evasive methods only if the chief minister BS Yeddyurappa was asked to pay a fine of Rs1 lakh from his own pocket.
A division bench comprising the Chief Justice Khehar and Justice HG Ramesh pointed out that the state government was delaying filing its statement of objections in several cases resulting in them getting delayed for years.
While hearing a case where the state government had sought for adjournments for over a year to file its objections, the bench observed that there were several of such cases in the high court.
Chief justice Khehar then said that if the chief minister is asked to pay a fine of Rs1 lakh from his own pocket, the state government may check its behaviour.
Deccan Mining Syndicate Company, Bangalore, had filed a petition in the high court contending that the company had on April 16, 2003 applied for an iron ore mining lease in 1,500 acres of area at Kumaraswamy range, Sandur taluk, Bellary district.
Though the company complied with all obligations, the state government proposed to grant the lease to another company.
A writ petition was filed in this regard in the high court in 2008 but ever since the state government had not filed its objections.
When the case came up for hearing on Friday, the state government counsel sought for further time to file objections, prompting the court to caution the state government before adjourning the case.
The court usually gives four weeks’ time to the parties to file their statement of objections. Recently, the division bench headed by the chief justice had slapped a fine of Rs2,500 on the erring party as costs.
