Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Feb 4: On Monday February 2, the High Court transferred the responsibility of holding investigations into the alleged irregularities in the execution of Bangalore-Mysore Highway Corridor project by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enteprise (NICE) as mentioned in Deve Gowda's letter to the judges, to the state Lokayukta.

The High Court has restrained both the petitioner and the respondents not to issue any statements on the project till the investigation concludes. While expressing its objection to the letter directly written to the High Court judges, the High Court also said that issuing of statements and writing of letters henceforth in the matter will attract provisions of contempt of court rules.

The divisional bench comprising of High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran and Justice V J Sabhahit, which treated Gowda's letter as public interest petition, directd the Lokayukta to investigate all the issues raised in Gowda's letter and also in a book published by the legal cell of the JD(S).  While passing the order, the High Court observed, that it wants the issues to be resolved and therefore, is entrusting the responsibility to another authority. The High Court on its own does not find a major role for itself in this matter as the Supreme Court is seized of it, it opined.

The High Court expressed serious reservations and unhappiness at the practice of writing letters to judges directly and warned Surendra Desai, counsel of Deve Gowda who appeared in the court, that it can not tolerate the habit of dragging issues to courts through letters addressed to judges.  At the same time, the bench dismissed a public interest petition filed by V Nagaraj on the toll charges  being levied on vehicles moving on the road built by NICE.