BENGALURU: The Karnataka high court has barred government officials in Kolar from entering a disputed agricultural property or taking further action there after the local tahsildar allegedly cut down more than 300 pomegranate plants.Hearing an urgent petition on Monday during the Diwali vacation, Justice KV Aravind questioned the haste with which the authorities had acted. He observed that if the action had been delayed, “heavens would not have come down to the earth”.The petition was filed by TN Monica, a resident of Tippenahalli in Kolar taluk. The land in question falls within the limits of the Vemagal-Kurugal town panchayat.The petitioner claimed that the tahsildar, accompanied by police personnel and other officials, entered the property around 3pm on November 7 and cut down more than 300 pomegranate plants without prior notice.The court was informed that an application seeking regularisation of the cultivation on the land had been filed in 2023 and was still under consideration.The petitioner further alleged that officials carried out the action during consecutive government holidays around Deepavali, despite requests to defer it until after her marriage, scheduled for November 15 and 16.Justice Aravind questioned why the authorities had acted in such haste and whether postponing the operation from November 7 to another working day would have caused any immediate harm.Pending further orders, the court directed the government not to take any action concerning the disputed property and barred officials from entering the land. It also issued notice to the state government and the district administration.The next hearing is scheduled for Friday.
