Daijiworld Media Network - Dharwad (SP)

Dharwad, Jun 10: Relating to the contempt of court allegations relating to Gokarna temple transfer, the divisional bench of Karnataka High Court circuit bench comprising of Justices Shylendra Kumar and Keshava Narayana had on May 27, issued notices to the commissioner of endowments, secretary to the department of endowments and desk officer in the department to appear in person before it on June 9. The commissioner sought exemption from appearance, citing ill health, when the case came up for hearing on Tuesday.

The judges took exception to the absence of the official and ordered for preparing of contempt charges against all the four officers, for failing to maintain status quo as ordered by the High Court earlier. The court felt, that prima facie, the  allegations of contempt of court leveled in a petition  filed by a person named Balachandra Dixit, claiming to be the trustee of the temple, had merits.

Dixit in his writ petition, had said that the four officers and also Uttara Kannada deputy commissioner had failed to maintain status quo as regards the temple property, in tune with the interim order passed by the state High Court earlier.  These officers had defied the said court order and gone ahead with transferring the temple to Ramachandrapur Mutt, he had alleged.