HC hearing on BBMP polls today

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court will take up the Public Interest Litigation case relating to the BBMP elections on Tuesday.
"It's an important issue and we'll take up the matter when the advocate general is available," the division Bench headed by Justice V Gopala Gowda told the counsel representing petitioners. The petition is filed by former mayors P R Ramesh, Ramachandrappa, Huchchappa, K H N Simha and others.
They challenged the January 29 decision of the State Election Commission (SEC) cancelling the December 8 notification which fixed February 21 as polling day.
Their main point is that the SEC should have taken the permission of the high court before cancelling the schedule. The SEC did so after the state government gave a letter stating it needed time to reissue the reservation list for the 198 wards.
The apex court, while dismissing the special leave petition filed against the December 8 verdict of the high court, directed the parties concerned to move the high court for further guidance. The high court had directed the state government to redo the reservation afresh as per the provisions of the KMC Act 1976.
Meanwhile, Justice B S Patil ordered notice to the Urban Development Department, SEC and BBMP commissioner with regard to a petition filed by H H Muniraju. He had sought a direction to the authorities for issuing the reservation list only after considering objections to the list. The petitioner cited judgments of the high court in a similar matter.
Detainees seek compensation
The high court ordered notice to the state government and home minister V S Acharya with regard to a petition filed by Popular Front of India activists. The 134 petitioners claimed Rs 10 lakh each as compensation from the government for their alleged illegal detention in July-August last year in Hindalaga Central Jail following the violence in Mysore on July 9. They were released in batches after a high court directive.
PSI selection list
Allowing the police sub-inspector selection committee to proceed with the provisional selection list, the high court asked the government not to issue the final list without the permission of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal. The court remanded the matter back to KAT. Petitioners challenged the selection process for PSI posts, alleging a question paper leak and repeat of questions in the entrance test held last year.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com