- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 30TH DAY OF JUNE, 2025 BEFORE THE HON'BLE MR JUSTICE SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM WRIT PETITION NO.18434 OF 2025 (LB-BMP) BETWEEN: DR.S.V.JANARDHANA S/O LATE SRI.S.P.VENKATARAMANAPPA AGED ABOUT 69 YEARS R/AT NO.76-1-1, V. R. LAYOUT J. P. NAGAR, 1ST PHASE BEHIND RAJALAKSHMI CONVENTION CENTRE BENGALURU - 560 078 …PETITIONER (BY SRI.H S PRASHANTH, ADVOCATE) AND: 1. STATE OF KARNATAKA REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 4TH FLOOR, VIKAS SOUDHA DR.AMBEDKAR VEEDHI BENGALURU 560 001 2. THE BRUHAT BANGALORE MAHANAGARA PALIKE N. R. SQUARE BENGALURU - 560 002 REPRESENTED BY ITS COMMISSIONER 3. THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TOWN PLANNING (SOUTH ZONE) Digitally signed by AL BHAGYA Location: HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 BBMP OFFICE BUILDING, 2ND FLOOR R. V. ROAD, SOUTH END CIRCLE BENGALURU - 560 041 …RESPONDENTS (BY SRI.PAWAN KUMAR, ADVOCATE FOR R.1; SRI.H.K.KENCHE GOWDA, AGA FOR R.2 AND R.3) THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED UNDER ARTICLES 226 AND 227 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA PRAYING TO ISSUE A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO QUASH PROVISIONS OF SECTION 18-A OF KARNATAKA TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT, 1961 BROUGHT INTO EFFECT BY KARNATAKA ACT NO.23 OF 2004 BY THE 1ST RESPONDENT AT ANNEXURE-G IN SO FAR AS 18-A(1) AND (IV) OF KARNATAKA ACT NO.23 OF 2004 IS CONCERNED AND ETC. THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR JUSTICE SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM ORAL ORDER This Petition is filed seeking for the following reliefs: "i) Issue a writ of certiorari to quash provisions of section 18-A of Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 brought into effect by Karnataka Act No.23 of 2004 by the 1st Respondent at Annexure-G in so far as 18-A(i) and (iv) of Karnataka Act No.23 of 2004 is concerned. - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 ii) Issue a Writ of Certiorari to quash the Notification issued by the 1st Respondent bearing No. UDD 3 TTP 2015, dated 25.02.2020 as contained in ANNEXURE-H in so far as the amended Rule 37-A and Rule 37-C are concerned; iii) Issue a Writ of Certiorari to quash the circular No. HeNiKaPaKo/PR/320/2020-21 dated 14/08/2020 issued by 2nd Respondent vide ANNEXURE-F. iv) Issue a Writ of Certiorari to quash demand notice issued by the Respondent Nos. 3, dated 21/06/2025, bearing LP No. BBMP/Ad.Com/ SUT/0060/2025-26, making a final demand for Rs. 99,30,000/- (Rupees Ninety nine Lakhs thirty Thousand Only) and Rs. 4,28,000/- (Rupees Four Lakhs twenty eight Thousand only) vide Annexure - Annexure -E. v) Issue any other appropriate writ or order or direction as deemed fit in the circumstances of the case, in the interest of justice and equity." 2. It is brought to the notice of this Court that across the Bar, the issue is dealt by the Co-ordinate Bench in the reported judgment in W.P.No.23086/2022 and connected matters. The Co-ordinate Bench, while deciding the issue, has set-aside the Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 2021 (Karnataka Act No.01 of 2022) and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, 2023, (Karnataka Act No.37 of 2024). Therefore, this Court deems it fit to cull out the operative portion of the order, which reads as under; "ORDER (i) The writ petitions are partly allowed. (ii) The Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Karnataka Act No.01 of 2022), is hereby quashed and set aside. (iii) The Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Act, 2023, (Karnataka Act No.37 of 2024), is hereby quashed and set aside. (iv) It is hereby declared that the provisions contained in Section 18-A of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961, read with Rules 37-A and 37-C of the Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965, are applicable only in respect of ‘Development Plan’ containing the proposal for construction on plots measuring more than 20,000 square meters in extent and not in respect of plots measuring less than 20,000 square meters. (v) It is hereby declared that if fee has been earlier collected for change of land use or while - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 approving a layout plan, fee shall not be collected for subsequent ‘Development Plan’ in terms of the ‘Note’ found below TABLE I of Rule 37-A of the Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965. (vi) It is hereby declared that the linking of the fee leviable under Rule 37-A of the Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965, to the ‘market value’ or ‘guidance value’ as determined under Section 45-B of the Karnataka Stamp Act, 1957, is illegal. However, liberty is reserved to the respondent-State Government and the BBMP to re-fix a standard after collecting empherical data. (vii) Consequently, all the impugned Circulars which seek to give effect to the Rules 37-A and 37-C of the Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965, are hereby quashed and set aside. (viii) It is hereby declared that Clause 3.8 of the Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Building Bye- laws, 2003, providing for ‘Ground Rent’, is illegal and are accordingly quashed and set aside. (ix) Consequently, all the impugned Demand Notices raised by the respondent-BBMP, in respect of the writ petitioners herein are also quashed and set aside. It would be advisable that the BBMP may come out with a scheme for ‘One Time Settlement’ and settle the levy and collect the fee generally acceptable to the citizens of Bengaluru. This would also augment the present situation." - 6 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 3. In the present writ petition, the core issue raised stands substantially covered and decided by the authoritative pronouncement of the coordinate bench, wherein the writ petitions were partly allowed and several consequential reliefs were granted. The Hon’ble Court, in unequivocal terms, quashed and set aside the Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Acts of 2021 and 2023 (Karnataka Act Nos.01 of 2022 and 37 of 2024 respectively). 4. The Court further declared that the provisions under Section 18-A of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961, read with Rules 37-A and 37-C of the Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965, are applicable only to development proposals concerning plots exceeding 20,000 square meters, and not to smaller plots. Importantly, it was also held that if a fee has been previously collected for change of land use or approval of layout plan, no further fee shall be levied for subsequent - 7 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 development plans, in view of the explanatory 'Note' to Table I of Rule 37-A. 5. The Court declared illegal the linkage of such levies to market or guidance value under Section 45-B of the Karnataka Stamp Act, and consequently, quashed all Circulars and demand notices issued to give effect to such unlawful interpretations. Clause 3.8 of the BBMP Building Bye-laws, 2003, imposing 'Ground Rent', was also struck down. 6. In view of these comprehensive declarations and findings, it is submitted that the controversy raised in the present writ petition no longer survives for adjudication independently, as it is squarely covered by the binding judgment of the coordinate bench. In the light of the law laid down in the reported judgment substantially covering the issue, which is raised in the captioned writ petition, the writ petition is liable to be allowed strictly aligning to the operative portion of the said writ petition. - 8 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 7. In view of the above, this Court proceeds to pass the following; ORDER (i) The writ petition is allowed. (ii) The impugned demand notice dated 21.06.2025 issued by respondent No.3 as per Annexure-E is hereby set-aside. (iii) Respondent Nos.2 and 3 - BBMP are hereby directed to issue fresh/modified sanction plan as the case may be. (iv) Respondent Nos.2 and 3 - BBMP are hereby directed to forthwith process the petitioner's application seeking building license and sanction of the building plan, strictly in accordance with law. (v) It is made clear that the issuance of the building license and approval plan shall not be withheld merely on the ground that the BBMP is contemplating to file an appeal against the reported judgment. (vi) If the building license and sanction plan are issued, the same shall be subjected - 9 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:22941 WP No. 18434 of 2025 to the outcome of any appeal that may be filed by the BBMP against the judgment. Pending applications, if any, are also disposed off. SD/- (SACHIN SHANKAR MAGADUM) JUDGE NBM List No.: 1 Sl No.: 39