Taking serious note of the fact that the State had not yet come out with a law for regulation of public assemblies and processions in the city, as was promised to the court eight years ago, the High Court of Karnataka on Thursday said the conduct of the State was nothing but contemptuous.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice H.T. Narendra Prasad made this observation while hearing a PIL petition filed by A.V. Amaranathan, a city-based advocate, seeking a direction to the State to finally notify the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order, 2008, the draft of which was notified over eight years ago.
The Bench noted that the court, on April 21, 2011, had disposed of a batch of PILs pertaining to hardship caused to the public and movement of traffic in the city because of rallies, bandhs and processions. It had done so after recording an undertaking by the State government that the draft order would be notified within three months.
Pointing out that there were huge traffic snarls in several areas around Vidhana Soudha on June 25 this year because of a protest march taken out by groups seeking reservation, the petitioner claimed that a law to contain groups or mobs was essential for the city.
Hearing on the matter was adjourned till July 26 after the government counsel sought time to get a response from the authorities concerned.
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