High Court hauls ACB over coals over probe against official

BENGALURU: If the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) does not comply with the directions issued by the court, it will be viewed seriously, the Karnataka High Court said on Tuesday. The court was hearing a a PIL with regard to alleged misdeeds of the then Bengaluru North Division Assistant Commissioner K Ranganath. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty made this observation while directing the ACB to submit the details of action taken on the complaint dated July 27, 2020 filed against Ranganth over alleged diversion of gomala land.

The bench has also directed the Chief Secretary to place on record the action taken on the report submitted on the al le ged misdeeds by Ranganath. Krishna Ramaiah, a resident of Srinagar in city, approached the high court by filing a public interest litigation seeking directions to the investigating agency to act in his complaints against the accused official.

Are you willing to consult NEERI: Bench asks state

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the State Government and Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd (CNNL) to state whether they are willing to consult the National Environment and Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) before taking up a project to construct a diversion channel and weir to Byramangala tank in Ramanagar taluk. After hearing a PIL filed by the Bangalore Environment Trust and others, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty ordered the state and CNNL not to carry out further work. The bench passed the interim order after the petitioners alleged that the project would change the course of Vrishabhavati river. The petitioners also alleged that the project would have a huge impact on the environment as NEERI was not consulted before it was taken up.