Belagavi
The Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court has ordered the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner to return 21 gunta of private land to its owner. The court found that the land had been illegally acquired for road construction.
The bench criticized BCC Commissioner Ashok Dudagunti, warning that an adverse entry might be made in his service book, which could impact his future promotions. A penalty of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on Dudagunti for illegally acquiring the land and failing to pay compensation, in violation of a court order. The lawyer representing BCC requested additional time, and the court allowed until September 23 for the land to be returned.
The court also directed that the land be returned under police protection. Police were instructed to detain anyone who opposes this action until further orders from the court. The bench stated that the case was extraordinary, and such violations of private land by government institutions could not be tolerated.
In 2018, BCC had granted a no-objection certificate to Belagavi Smart City Limited (BSCL) for constructing a 560-meter-long road with an 80ft width in Shahapur. The road was built without following the proper land acquisition procedures and has been in use for the last two years. The court has now ordered that the land, along with the road built on it, be returned to the original owner.
