Bandhs won’t affect normal life: State government to Karnataka High Court

BENGALURU: The state government on Wednesday informed the Karnataka High Court that it would take all the steps to ensure that day-to-day activities are not affected in the case of a bandh.  

Recording the submission of additional advocate general A S Ponnanna to that effect, a division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice B M Shyam Prasad asked the state to file a proper response, and then adjourned the hearing of a batch of public interest litigations filed against calling or holding bandh, to April 26.

Ponnanna's submission came after the court orally observed that the state should not succumb to those calls for bandh by withdrawing the public transport service which cannot be done in that way.
The court made this observation when a counsel of the petitioner drew the attention of the court on withdrawing of the BMTC bus service on account of bandh called over Mahadayi water dispute in last February.

During the hearing, one of the advocates representing the petitioner, submitted that the bandh is apparently deferred to May 3 from April 12 over Cauvery issue.

Then the court observed that there is already a direction not to call bandh as it is unconstitutional.
Then the advocate submitted that despite this, bandh call was given again. Then the court observed that 'your cause is taken care of and the court is not passing any order now in view of the broader issue involved' and hence the state was asked to file a proper response.