Bengaluru’s land mafia and land sharks get laws bent to serve their interests: Karnataka High Court
The Karnataka High Court has criticized the Bangalore Development Authority for allegedly bending land-use laws to favor a powerful real estate developer. The court quashed a resolution that reduced a mandatory access road width, citing undue influence on the BDA Commissioner.
Why it matters
This case highlights systemic issues regarding corruption and regulatory capture in urban development projects in India's major tech hubs.
Observing that “the land mafias and land sharks of Bengaluru get every law and rule bent to be favourable towards them”, the High Court of Karnataka has criticised the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for reducing the width of a proposed access road to a landlocked private property to favour a real estate developer, contrary to earlier orders of the Lokayukta, the High Court and the Supreme Court.
A Division Bench comprising Justice D.K. Singh and Justice T.M. Nadaf made these observations while allowing an appeal filed by brothers J.V. Venkatesh and J.V. Srinivas, who own three acres of land in Survey No. 1A, Block 11, of Jakkur Plantation Village, Yelahanka Hobli, Bengaluru North Taluk.
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