After a surprise inspection by judicial officers revealed that no cattle camps existed in 14 of the 20 places randomly checked, the Karnataka High Court on Monday termed it “a classic case to show how the State government is misleading the court”.
The court directed Rashmi V. Mahesh, Principal Secretary of the Animal Husbandry Department, who had filed an affidavit stating that cattle camps were set up in 65 places, to be personally present in the court on September 26.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Mohammad Nawaz made this observations while hearing two separate PIL petitions on implementation of the Drought Management Act and setting up of cattle camps, filed by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, and one Mallikarjuna A., an agriculturist from Tumakuru district. The court had ordered the judicial officers attached to the district legal services authority to conduct surprise inspection of 20 random places where the government claimed to have set up camps after Mr. Mallikarjuna contended that cattle camps were not there in many places and sufficient fodder was not being provided in exiting camps as per the court’s orders.
The inspection reports also indicated the lack of proper shelter from the sun and rain for cattle in some camps, besides lack of fodder and feed concentrate.
Intelligence wing
Meanwhile, the Bench directed the personal presence of the police inspector attached to the Tumakuru police Intelligence wing, who had called Mr. Mallikarjuna to know about his petition, by refusing to accept his apology due inconsistencies in his two affidavits, and as he had disclosed source from where he had collected petitioner’s mobile number.
On the other hand, Additional Chief Secretary Rajneesh Goel filed an affidavit stating that all the officers have been directed that under no circumstance are they to approach petitioners, especially when the matter is pending before the High Court.