The Karnataka High Court.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL challenging the change in the name of Basavanagudi ward to Dodda Ganapati ward.
“Change of name of a ward in the city cannot be a subject matter in a PIL,” a division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind said.
The petitioners Satyalaxmi Rao and five others, all residents of Basavanagudi, had challenged the September 25, 2023 notification issued by the Urban Development Department, changing the name of the ward from Basavanagudi to Dodda Ganapati.
The petitioners claimed that the state government and the Chief Commissioner of the BBMP are responsible for changing the name of the ward. According to them, the name Basavanagudi has historical and cultural importance of more than a century and it is a matter of pride for the residents that the word belongs to the renowned persons.
However, the bench observed that the notification revealed that the delimitation process of changing the boundaries of the wards in the city happened in exercise of powers under section 7 of the BBMP Act, 2020. “Even otherwise, the subject matter regarding the change of name of the ward or city cannot be found part of agitation in the PIL. No public interest is made out to grant any relief whatsoever to the petitioners,” the bench said, while dismissing the petition.