Date: 3rd Aug 2022
One might remember that a false case was registered by the BBMP Road Infrastructure Divn in May 2022, against Sandeep Anirudhan who is leading the Save Pattandur Agrahara Lake campaign, in Whitefield, and was protesting against an illegal road being constructed by BBMP on the Lake Buffer Zone of Pattandur Agrahara Lake.
The Criminal Petition CRL.P 6114/2022, filed by our advocate, Dr. Prajwal K. Aradhya challenges the FIR No.117/2022 registered by Whitefield Police Station, arguing that it is a blatant abuse of the process of law, to harass citizens and suppress their constitutional freedom of expression.
The Hon’ble High Court upon hearing our advocate on 2nd Aug 2022, was pleased to provide a STAY on further proceedings by the police. Prima facie the Court was of the opinion that the petitioner could not have been guilty of the offences sought to be charged under. The Court has directed that Notices be issued to the respondents, ie., the Whitefield Police, and the BBMP RI Divn Engineers.
The case is posted for hearing next on 1st Sep 2022.
The BBMP RI Engineers’ claim in the police complaint, was that there is no lake in the vicinity of the road project that they were executing, and that Sandeep was spreading misinformation that there is a lake and that the road was illegal, and made outlandish accusations that he was “inciting riots” and “obstructing govt work”; Interestingly, the Police FIR was registered on the very same same day that the KTCDA, the lake authority in Karnataka served a “stop work order” on the BBMP RI Divn, informing them that there is a lake and the proposed road was in violation of the Laws, and ordered them to suspend work immediately.
The illegal road work has since been stopped.
Interestingly, after the FIR was regd, on World Environment Day, on June 5, residents of Whitefield turned out in hundreds around the lake, to publicly protest against the illegal road project.
We keep up the fight, against corruption, against misuse of govt, against destruction of our habitat! And your support counts! Thank you!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PattandurLake/status/1554713296133304320