Leaders and workers of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) have condemned the Belagavi Zilla Panchayat for neither honouring Karnataka High Court’s order nor that of the State government to issue all government orders, notifications, circulars and other proceedings in Marathi language.
Led by former MLA Manohar Kinekar, they staged a protest at the ZP office here on Tuesday and later submitted a fresh memorandum to the Chief Executive Officer stating that the High Court bench of Dharwad headed by Justice L. Narayana Swamy, in a writ petition No.79953/2013 (LB-RES), ordered implementation of the Government Order dated March 31, 2004.
Mr. Kinekar, who was one of the three petitioners, had filed the writ petition under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution praying to direct the respondents (Divisional Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Chief Executive Officer of ZP, Executive Officers of Belagavi and Khanapur Taluk Panchayats, Chief Secretary (RDPR) and Under Secretary to the Government, Dept. of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, to issue the meeting notices, proceedings, documents and other papers in Marathi language along with Kannada language to the Marathi-speaking elected members of ZP, Taluk Panchayat and Gram Panchayat and to the Marathi-speaking people residing in Belagavi and Khanapur taluks.
On November 18, 2013, Justice L. Narayana Swamy directed the respondents to issue appropriate orders as per the government order. Yet, the ZP and Belagavi Taluk Panchayat were not honouring the order. Several memoranda had been submitted to the ZP and Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi but to no avail, Mr. Kinekar said.
He said Marathi-speaking elected members in ZP and Belagavi Taluk Panchayat areas, besides those residing in the taluk were unable to read and understand Kannada language.
He threatened to launch an intensified agitation if the ZP authorities fail to implement the government order at the earliest.
