The Karnataka High Court on Monday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the construction of a metro station at Chikkajala on the under-construction Blue Line of the Bengaluru Metro.
The court observed that decisions regarding the location of stations rest solely with state authorities and not the judiciary.
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A bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi pointed out that the location and number of stations on a metro line fall outside the scope of judicial review under Article 226 of the Constitution, Indian Express reported.
“The manner in which a metro station is required and the stops on a metro line is clearly a matter which is required to be considered by the authorities,” the court noted according to the publication.
However, the bench directed the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to examine and respond to a written request made by residents in 2022 seeking a Chikkajala station. The ruling follows a similar order issued in July when the court dismissed a plea for a station at Bettahalsuru, located just a few kilometres from Chikkajala on the same corridor.
{{/usCountry}}However, the bench directed the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to examine and respond to a written request made by residents in 2022 seeking a Chikkajala station. The ruling follows a similar order issued in July when the court dismissed a plea for a station at Bettahalsuru, located just a few kilometres from Chikkajala on the same corridor.
{{/usCountry}}The PIL, filed by C R Naveen Kumar and six other residents of Chikkajala, argued that BMRCL had originally planned for a station in their village under Phase 2B of the Blue Line project, which will link K R Puram in East Bengaluru with Kempegowda International Airport in North Bengaluru. The petitioners claimed the subsequent decision to drop the station was arbitrary and sought a direction to halt Blue Line construction beyond Chikkajala until a station was built there.
The court, however, dismissed these demands, reiterating that such policy and planning decisions lie with the competent government bodies and not the judiciary.
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