TNN

Bangalore, Jul 15: In a significant verdict, the high court has observed that a chief minister mustn't issue directions for allotment of sites or houses for those who approach him, are close to him or are his close political supporters.

"Any such effort will lead to misuse of power by a public authority. It is not the chief minister but the cabinet alone which is the state government, and it should deal with such discretionary exercises," Justice Rammohan Reddy observed in his order. The petition filed by Deepa Sri Tantri and others was dismissed.

The petitioners had challenged the November 18, 2008, beneficiaries list of KHB house allottees. They first moved the then CM H D Kumaraswamy for allotment of sites/houses in Bandemutt and Suryanagar colonies.

But after the HDK government collapsed, the petitioners once again approached him and he issued another letter, which was endorsed by the current CM on September 23, 2008. But the KHA authorities replied there were no vacant houses or sites.

Raj statue PIL adjourned

A division Bench has adjourned a PIL on erecting a statue of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar near Town Hall on JC Road. The court recorded the BBMP council's statement that the spot where a pedestal has been put up is not the one that was decided upon to erect the statue. This, as per the April 15, 2006, resolution passed by the erstwhile BMP during a special condolence meeting, two days after Rajkumar's death.

"Why do you want to create unnecessary controversy? Choose some other place as intended in the resolution," the Bench observed.

Former mayor B V Putte Gowda, in his PIL, sought a direction to authorities to place the statue beside that of Kittor Rani Chennamma, as per the BBMP council's decision of April 15, 2006.

"Instead of putting the statue beside Chennamma's statue, they have erected a pedestal opposite to it on the busy JC Road. This will obscure Rani Chennamma's statue. Many intellectuals have opposed this. There is a likelihood of an agitation. Even Rajkumar would have said no to such a decision," he told the court.

The BBMP had passed a resolution in April 2006 for erecting Rajkumar's statue at a total cost of Rs 27.6 lakh.

Pleas disposed of

The high court has disposed of petitions filed by Ansar Higher Primary School and nearly hundred schools challenging the endorsement issued by authorities rejecting their request to register as English-medium schools.

The court quashed the endorsements and asked them to file fresh applications within a week, and the authorities have been asked to consider them within a four-week period.

The authorities had rejected those applications citing pendency of the special leave petition filed by the state before the apex court over the language issue.