Tag Archives: Writer N.Mahabaleshwar Bhat

Karnataka High Court orders forest dept to refund Rs 4.33 lakh to Kodagu landowner 

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Justice Suraj Govindaraj ruled that the state cannot exploit a mistake made by a citizen in categorising the land as ‘sagu bane land’ when it was, in fact, alienated ‘sagu bane land’, and retain the deposited amount.

Representative image showing a forest./ Credit: DH Photo

Bengaluru:

The Karnataka High Court has directed the Forest Department to refund Rs 4.33 lakh, along with 6 per cent interest, to the legal heirs of a Kodagu landowner, Mahabaleshwar Bhat, who had deposited the amount in 1982.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj ruled that the state cannot exploit a mistake made by a citizen in categorising the land as ‘sagu bane land’ when it was, in fact, alienated ‘sagu bane land’, and retain the deposited amount.

Bhat, who owned 38.5 acres in Biligeri Village, Madikeri taluk, Kodagu district, had received permission on February 1, 1983, to cut 349 trees on the property. He subsequently paid Rs 4,33,082, the assessed value of the trees. However, he later realised that the land had been classified as alienated ‘sagu bane land’ since 1897, making the payment unnecessary.

Bhat requested a refund from the authorities, but his plea was rejected by the Forest Department on April 25, 2012, citing the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, as grounds for denial. After the department’s appellate authority also dismissed his appeal, Bhat moved the high court.

During the pendency of the case, Bhat passed away and his legal representatives were substituted as petitioners in 2023. The court found that the Forest Department failed in its duty to verify the land’s classification.

“In fact, it was for the assistant and chief conservator of forest to verify these from the records concerned and not go by the statement made by the petitioner himself. Whenever any application is filed by any person claiming permission to cut trees, there is a duty imposed on the authority granting such permission to verify the details. If at all the details had been verified, it would have been clear that the land in question is alienated ‘sagu bane land’ and not un-alienated ‘sagu bane land’.

This aspect has been made clear by the deputy commissioner in his order dated March 29, 2010,” Justice Suraj Govindaraj said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> India> Karnataka / by Subarna Mukherjee , DH Web Desk / January 03rd, 2025

Meet on Achievements of Gokak in Madikeri

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It will be held at the Patrika Bhavan on June 23

Kodagu District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, in association with the V.K. Gokak National Trust, Haveri, is organising a one-day programme on the life and literary achievements of V.K. Gokak, a Jnanpith award winner, on the Patrika Bhavan premises here on June 23.

The programme will be inaugurated by the former president of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Bangalore, Chandrashekar Patil (Champa), the president of the parishat, T.P. Ramesh, told presspersons here on Friday.

Many writers and intellectuals did not believe that Gokak would provide justice to Kannada when the Gokak Commission was set up by the State Government during R. Gundu Rao’s regime. However, when the reports came out on according top priority to Kannada as a medium of education everyone was surprised, he said.

The Gokak movement went on successfully in Kodagu for one and half months where Kannada activists staged dharnas in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here, organised a Kodagu bandh and took out torchlight parades, apart from programmes in the taluks, Mr. Ramesh said.

He recalled the incident of Kannada activists courting arrest for waving black flags during the visit of the then Chief Minister, late R. Gundu Rao, demanding the implementation of the Gokak report.

Mr. Ramesh would preside over the inaugural function while Taltaje Vasanth Kumar from Uppinangadi would deliver the main speech.

An elocution competition would be conducted on the Gokak movement in the State involving pre-university students, teachers training college students and ITI students on June 20 at the Patrika Bhavan, Mr. Ramesh said.

On the same day, a folk song competition would be conducted for SSLC students.

Teachers from schools would be involved in an essay competition on the life and literary achievements of Gokak.

They would have to submit the essays to the president of the Kodagu District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Madikeri, before June 22, Mr. Ramesh said.

M. Ramakrishna, professor from Bharati College, Mandya, would deliver the valedictory address at 3 p.m. the same day.

Writer N. Mahabaleshwar Bhat would preside over the function. The president of the Madikeri unit of the parishat, K.T. Baby Mathew, and the honorary secretary of the district unit, Bharati Ramesh, were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / Staff Correspondent / National / Karnataka / Madikeri / June 19th, 2010