The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the authorities to maintain status quo on the nature and possession of the property owned by Kannada film actor Darshan at Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwarinagar.
Justice S. Abdul Nazeer passed the interim order after hearing a petition filed by Mr. Darshan. During the hearing, the actor’s counsel pointed out that the Bengaluru urban district administration had, a couple of days ago, written on the compound wall of the property that it had been “taken into government possession,” though the property continues to be in Mr. Darshan’s possession.
Interestingly, the government counsel told the court that only a notice has been issued to the actor so far, as was done in the case of other properties in the layout, and that the government has indeed not taken possession of the property. The counsel, however, sought more time to seek instructions from the official concerned.
The actor had purchased the site from its earlier owner, who had had it allotted to him by the Bangalore Development Authority in the layout formed by Ideal Homes House Building Cooperative Society in the 1970s. Contending that many properties there are categorised under ‘B-Kharab’, which can be owned only by the government, the district authorities had asked several owners, including Mr. Darshan, to produce property documents, failing which they would be evicted.
