Father wants CBI probe into son's death

BANGALORE: The Karnataka high court on Tuesday ordered notice to state government, DG & IG, Bangalore police commissioner and the CBI in response to a petition filed by a city-based builder seeking an independent probe into the alleged murder of his second son Ramkiran, a realtor.
Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri posted the petition filed by builder CR Gopalakrishna to Thursday for hearing.
The petitioner said Ramkiran died in the early hours of July 28, 2013 in suspicious circumstances. He said he filed a complaint against Ramkiran's wife (Shalini) and in-laws seeking their custodial interrogation after a report from the Forensic Science Laboratory on March 28, 2014 opined that he died due to circulatory failure as a result of consumption of a substance containing 'mercuric ions'.
He contended that the inspector of Basavanagudi police station investigating the case hasn't discharged his duties in terms of provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.
"The investigator with impunity is collecting negative evidence despite the fact that it's far from the truth, in the process of exonerating the accused of the crime which they have committed presumably at the behest and instance of certain top bureaucrats of the state and politicians who have occupied high positions in the state and who have for more than one reason identified themselves with the accused in the case," the petitioner alleged.
School objects to approval for another school
Justice A S Bopanna on Tuesday disposed of a petition filed by St. Javeria English High School, Thanisandra by directing the commissioner for public instruction to decide on its representation.
The petitioner complained that in spite of an adverse report by an inspector of the education department on March 21, 2014, the deputy director of public instruction accorded permission for a new school by MHN Islamic Urdu Junior Primary School. The school is opposite the petitioner school. The inspector had said there were 15 schools within a radius of 1km in Thanisandra where the Urdu school wanted to come up.
The petitioner school claimed that work on the new school will affect its students due to noise and also affect routine work. The petitioner also said that by opening a new school close to it is contrary to the Karnataka Education Act, 1983 and undue influence was exerted on the DDPI to accord permission to it.
Welfare board or funeral bill board?
A division bench headed by Chief Justice DH Waghela on Tuesday asked the executive officer of the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board to appear in court with all details on utilizing its funds.
The bench gave this direction when it was pointed out that of the Rs 1595 crore cess collected since 2007-08, hardly Rs 9 crore has been utilized and that too predominantly for funeral expenses of workers. "It will not be a welfare board but a funeral expenses board," the bench observed.
"We want to know how the money is spent," the bench observed while asking the board counsel to direct the executive officer of the board to be present on the next date of hearing with all details. The bench is hearing a PIL relating to the plight of labourers of the Metro Rail project.