‘Do you want bodies dumped on roads?’ HC raps Karnataka govt

The Karnataka high court questioned the state government caustically as to if why remains of dead bodies had to be thrown on the roads, citing that the state claimed failure to provide space for burial places.

On Thursday, Justice B Veerappa said the government was acting recklessly on this subject and should be embarrassed by its actions during the hearing of the civil contempt of court plea.

“Do you want bodies dumped on the roads where burial grounds are not available? It is unfortunate the court has to do the job of the government,” it observed.

The court threatened to send the Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department to jail for contempt of court if the government did not comply with the court’s order to provide burial sites in all villages and towns that do not have one, within 15 days.

The high court had already ordered the state to create burial sites in communities that lacked one within six weeks, based on a plea filed by Mohammed Iqbal.

However, the administration has yet to put the 2019 directive into effect. Iqbal has filed a civil contempt of court case against the government once more. The government’s counsel requested more time to submit a status report on the case.

The court, on the other hand, rejected this motion, stating that this was not a case of a missing person for which the government needed to file a status report. Good actions are rewarded with votes. The court suggested that the government consider giving burial plots as a “vote-gathering strategy.”

(The story has been edited at the News Desk.)