No response to Ads seeking info on availability of burial grounds in Karnataka: Govt tells HC

The state government on Thursday informed the High Court of Karnataka that it has adhered to the direction of the Court and issued public notice in newspapers seeking information on villages that do not have graveyards.

However, there has not been a single response so far from anywhere, it said.

A division bench of Justices B Veerappa and T Venkatesh Naik is hearing a contempt petition filed by Mohammed Iqbal, accusing the government of failing to act on the 2019 high court order directing the state government to provide land for graveyards in all villages in the state.

Earlier in January, the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai-led government had submitted that 27,903 villages in Karnataka already had burial grounds and 319 villages were yet to be provided grave yards.

However, the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, which verified these submissions, told the court that the State has provided false information and a total of 2,041 villages were yet to be provided with land for the purpose.

Following this, the government decided to publish advertisements to obtain information from the public. The Court, which is monitoring the issue, has adjourned the hearing to April 20.