Only Drama Ongoing Since 75 Yrs, Basic Needs Not Met: Karnataka High Court Pulls State Over Lack Of Burial Grounds In Villages

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday slammed the State government over lack of burial grounds in certain villages. A division bench of Justice B Veerappa and Justice Venkatesh Naik T orally remarked, “This is basic needs, people want basic needs, burial ground and road and water. This is your duty, Constitutional mandate, why are you not doing?”

It added,

“Only drama for 75 years we are doing. Please provide basic requirements to the people.”

The bench was hearing a contempt petition filed by petitioner Moahmmed Ikbal, praying to take action against the accused for wilful disobedience of a 2019 order wherein a Coordinate Bench had directed the State Government to take all possible steps to provide burial grounds to all the villages and towns within a period of six months.

During the hearing today the bench orally observed “We will not leave sir. We will not close this matter, we will call for report from Member Secretary, publishing in papers inviting information from general public to inform wherever there is no burial ground in the entire state.”

Following which the government advocate on instructions informed the court about its willingness to publish in newspapers in the entire state, inviting the general public to inform where there is no burial ground in any village and will take steps to provide burial ground in each and every village in the entire state.

The Court took the statement on record and further requested the Member Secretary, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority to ensure proper information is obtained from all DLSA members and Taluka legal service committees, to ensure there should be no village without burial ground in the entire state.

The court in its order dated January 10, has recorded the details mentioned in the affidavit filed by N. Jayaram, Secretary, Department of Revenue, wherein it was mentioned that there are 29,616 villages in the State out of which 1,394 villages are treated as Becharak villages i.e. villages without any habitation. As such the State has to provide burial grounds to 28,222 villages.

Further, as per the reports of the Deputy Commissioners out of the 28,222 villages, the state has provided for burial grounds to 27,903 villages. As of today, the State has to provide burial grounds to 319 villages. As such the State has complied in providing burial grounds to an extent of 98.87% in the State of Karnataka.

It was also said that as per the reports of the Deputy Commissioners the State is in the process of evicting encroachments in 56 villages. Apart from the said 56 villages there are no encroachments of burial grounds in any of the other villages in the State of Karnataka

Following which the court had in order to ascertain the correctness of the affidavit had sought reports from all the Taluk Legal Services Committees and District Legal Services Authority in the State.

Case Title: Mohammad Ikbal And M. Maheshwar Rao

Case No: CCC 343/2020.