Complaining that the ventilation provided in the basement of the Karnataka High Court building was “of lesser magnitude”, making it difficult for the court staff to spend an entire day in “such a suffocating environment”, a PIL petition has sought directions to relocate all the staff working in branches located there.
The petition, filed by Ramesh Naik L., a Tumakuru-based advocate, came up for hearing by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Pradeem Singh Yeruru. The Bench adjourned the matter while deciding to hear the petition along with another PIL petition, which questions the State government’s proposal to construct a seven-storeyed building for the High Court by demolishing a nearby old building that earlier housed the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka.
Pointing out that as a large number of staff work in the branches located in the basement, the petitioner said that the conditions could result in hazardous health troubles in the staff, advocates and litigants who visit these branches daily. Contending that the right to a healthy working environment was a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution, as held by the apex court, the petitioner complained that he had not received a response so far to his representation on the matter submitted to the Registrar-General of the High Court a couple of months ago.
