2022 Supreme(Online)(Kar) 41325
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IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU
DATED THIS THE 04TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2022
PRESENT
THE HON9BLE MR.JUSTICE ALOK ARADHE
AND
THE HON9BLE MR.JUSTICE M.G.S. KAMAL
WRIT PETITION. NO.622 OF 2022 (KLGP)
BETWEEN:
1.
SNN PROPERTIES LLP
NO.4, ELEPHANT ROCK ROAD
3RD BLOCK, JAYANAGARA
BANGALORE - 560 011.
2.
SHAH SANJAY
S/O LATE SRI SHAH SAJJAN RAJ
AGED ABOUT 51 YEARS
NO.4, ELEPHANT ROCK ROAD
3RD BLOCK, JAYANAGARA
BANGALORE - 560 011.
... PETITIONERS
(BY SRI. SAGAR G. NAHAR, ADVOCATE FOR
SRI. GOUTHAM CHAND S.F., ADVOCATE (V/C)
AND:
1.
STATE OF KARNATAKA
REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY
REVENUE DEPARTMENT
M.S. BUILDING
BANGALORE - 560 001.
2.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF LAND RECORDS
ANEKAL TALUK
BANGALORE URBAN DISTRICT.
3.
THE COMMISSIONER
BRUHAT BANGALORE MAHANAGARA PALIKE
2
N.R. SQUARE
BANGALORE - 560 002.
4.
JOINT COMMISSIONER
BOMMANAHALLI ZONE
BEGUR MAIN ROAD
BRUHAT BANGALORE MAHANAGARA PALIKE
BANGALORE - 560 068.
... RESPONDENTS
(BY. SRI. BOJEGOUDA T. KOLLER, AGA FOR RESPONDENT (P/H)
THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLE 226 AND
227 OF CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO CALL FOR
ENTIRE RECORDS LGC(S) NO.2740 OF 2017 PENDING ON THE
FILE OF THE HONBLE SPECIAL COURT FOR LAND GRABBING
BENGALURU, ISSUE A WRIT OF CERTIORARI OR ANY OTHER
WRIT
DIRECTION
OR
QUASHING
THE
ENTIRE
PROCEEDINGS IN LGC(S) NO.2740 OF 2017 AS CONTRARY OF
LAW.
THIS PETITION COMING ON FOR ORDERS THIS DAY,
M.G.S.KAMAL J, MADE THE FOLLOWING:
ORDER
Present writ petition is filed seeking issue of writ
of certiorari or any other writ, direction or order
quashing the proceedings under Section 4(3) of the
Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act, 2011
(hereinafter to refer to as the 'Act') in LGC(S)
No.2740/2017 on the file of the Karnataka Land
Grabbing Prohibition Special Court, (hereinafter refer
to as the Special Court) Bangalore.
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Brief facts of the case leading upto filing
the present petition are that;
(a)
The petitioner No.1 is a limited liability
partnership firm and petitioner No.2 is its partner.
That the petitioner No.1 had purchased 15 acres 23
guntas of land in Sy.Nos.144, 145/1, 146/1, 147/1
and 147/2 of Koodlu village, Sarjapur Hobli, Anekal
Taluk (hereinafter referred to as the 'subject land')
Bangalore Urban District within the Administrative
jurisdiction of Bangalore Bruhath Mahangara Palike
(BBMP), and the khatha in respect of the same was
registered in the name of the petitioner No.1.
(b) Petitioner No.1 had obtained residential
development
plan
and
work
order
from
the
Commissioner, Bangalore Development Authority.
That the petitioner No.1 had obtained required
sanctions, approvals and NOC's from various statutory
authorities for developing the subject lands into a
residential apartment complex called as "SNN RAJ
ETTERENIA".
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(c)
The petitioner No.1 completed the project
and had executed deeds of sale on various dates
infavour of various prospective purchasers conveying
the residential apartments constructed on the subject
land and that the purchasers are in occupation of the
flats purchased as above. The BBMP issued occupancy
certificate dated 12.11.2019 and issued Special
Notification dated 06.01.2020 assigning separate sub-
Municipal numbers to each of the flats.
(d)
The petitioner No.1 has developed the land
which was conveyed in its favour by predecessor in
title. It is the case of the petitioner No.1, that it has
not encroached upon any land belonging either to the
Government or to the local authority attracting
provisions of the Act and the petitioner is not a "land
grabber".
(e)
When thing stood thus, acting upon the
inspection stated to have been carried out by the
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the BBMP and
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his team and also on the basis of newspaper reports,
the Special Court has registered a suo-moto case in
LGC (S) No.2740/2017 in respect of the subject lands
(f). The petitioners learnt about these aforesaid
proceedings upon receipts of summons issued under
Section 61 of Code Of Criminal Procedure, and
petitioner No.2 being the partner of petitioner No.1,
in response to the said summons appeared before the
Special Court and obtained bail on 28.10.2021.
(g). The Special Court had taken cognizance of
the offence under the Act, without there being any
prima facie material to show that the petitioner No.1
had encroached upon the lake or storm water drain
belonging to the Government.
(h). That initially, the case was registered
against "GS Institute" and "SNS Institute". That by
order dated 17.09.2019, Special Court had taken
cognizance only against SNS Institute, Bengaluru and
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had dropped the proceedings against the "GS
Institute".
That aggrieved by the order dated
17.09.2019 passed by the Special Court taking
cognizance for an offence punishable under Section
4(3) of the Act, against SNS Institute, the petitioners
are before this Court.
Sri. Sagar G. Nahar, learned counsel for
the petitioner re-iterating the grounds urged in the
writ petition submitted;
(a) that the Special Court has mechanically
taken cognizance of the offence of the land grabbing
against the petitioner No.1 without there being any
prima facie material in that regard.
(b)
that though suo-moto proceedings were
initiated against the SNS Institute and GS Institute,
summons were issued by order