T.J. Abraham, who filed a complaint in the Special Lokayukta Court on the alleged irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, on Friday sought to file a memo in the Karnataka High Court seeking personal visit of the judge who is hearing the case in the High Court, to the areas acquired for the project.
However, Justice H. Billappa orally directed the complainant to file the memo in the registry while refusing to accept it in the court hall.
The court issued this direction while hearing the petitions filed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), the company executing the project, challenging a October 25 order of the special court to the Lokayukta police to probe the allegations made in the complaint. During the hearing of the petitions, Mr. Abraham requested the judge to personally visit the project areas, including peripheral and a link road constructed as part of the project, for “effective appreciation of the factual dispute involved in the case”.
He cited that the example of the visit of two judges of a Division Bench to Bellary in connection with the petitions related to illegal mining during 2007-08, while claiming that the company was “trying to destroy evidence” by putting concrete on asphalted roads.
“We are concerned with prosecution and not contractual issues in these petitions. The frame work agreement is still in force. If they are implementing the project, how this court can pass an order when the project was upheld by the Supreme Court. They can do all that is permissible under the contract. Do you want to stall the project,” Justice Billappa observed orally while adjourning hearing till January 7.
