From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, May 7: A day after the Supreme Court’s verdict hodling that the Government cannot impose mother tongue for imparting primary education, Karnataka is almost firm in considering filing a review petition in the apex court against the apex court’s decision as one of the options before it.
''After legal consultations, we can immediately go for filing the review petition. The judgment is applicable to the entire country and not just to our State," Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.
He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called a meeting of legal experts and educationists at the State Secretariat to discuss future strategy of the government on May 9.
Jayachandra said the judgment delivered by Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha was a clear case of interpretation of Fundamental Rights of the Constitution.
"Now the State Government has to take future steps very cautiously,” he said.
The Government would spell out its future course of action only after consultations with pro-Kannada organisations and leaders of the Opposition parties, he said.
Sugar Factory Cane Arrears to Farmers
With its two-day ultimatum to sugar factories in the State to pay the arrears to growers ending on Wednesday, the State Government has warned that legal action will be initiated against factory owners for no-payment of money to growers as per the price of Rs 2,500 a tonne fixed by the government.
Sugar factory owners would be instructed to pay dues with prevailing rate of interest to growers if they continued to delay the payment beyond May 7.
He said the Karnataka Sugarcane (Regulation of purchase and Supply Act, 2013, would be invoked to file cases against factory owners for no-payment of pending dues.
The State Sugarcane Control Board on Monday issued a two-day ultimatum to sugar factories to pay the arrears to sugarcane growers by Wednesday evening.
However, several factory owners have not followed the order.
Jayachandra said it would be inevitable for the government to initiate civil and criminal proceedings against the factory owners if they fail to clear the farmers’ dues.
Of a total due of Rs 9,247.71 crore (as on April 15, 2014) to growers, Rs. 3,357.56 crore is still to be cleared.
He said the Karnataka High Court too turned down the petition filed by factory owners.
The Minister said the secretary of the Commerce and Industry Department has been asked to hold a video-conference with Deputy Commissioners to find out payment of pending dues by factory owners to growers.