- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:34048-DB WP No. 23534 of 2025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 1ST DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2025 PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE C M JOSHI WRIT PETITION NO. 23534 OF 2025 (GM-RES-PIL) BETWEEN: 1. SRI C R NAVEEN KUMAR S/O. CM RAMANJINAPPA, AGED ABOUT 45 YEARS, RESIDING NO. 577, JALA HOBLI, CHIKKAJALA, BENGALURU - 562 157. 2. DR. Y.C VENKATA RANGA REDDY S/O. Y V CHANDRA SHEKAR REDDY, AGED ABOUT 50 YEARS, RESIDING AT NO. 06, 4TH ROAD, BHARATHI NAGAR, KADIGANAHALLI, BETTAHALSUR, BENGALURU - 562 157. 3. SRI. SHIVARAJKUMAR AGED ABOUT 40 YEARS, RESIDING AT JALA HOBLI, CHIKKAJALA, BENGALURU - 562 157. 4. SRI. VIVEK P S/O. PILLANARYANAPPA, AGED ABOUT 41 YEARS, RESIDING AT JALA HOBLI, CHIKKAJALA, BENGALURU - 562 157. 5. SRI. MANJUNATH M KASI S/O. MUNIYAPPA, AGED ABOUT 49 YEARS. RESIDING AT NO. 87, 3RD CROSS, 1 MAIN, JALA HOBLI, CHIKKAJALA, BENGALURU - 562 157. Digitally signed by PRABHAKAR SWETHA KRISHNAN Location: High Court of Karnataka - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:34048-DB WP No. 23534 of 2025 6. SRI. NARASIMHA MURTHY S/O. LATE NARASIMHAPPA, AGED ABOUT 49 YEARS, RESIDING AT NO.10, ACCHUTA NILAYA, JALA HOBLI, CHIKKAJALA, BENGALURU - 562 157. 7. SRI. MANOJ C N AGED ABOUT 36 YEARS, RESIDING AT NO.30, NEAR CHANNAKESHAVA SWAMY TEMPLE JALA HOBLI, CHIKKAJALA, BENGALURU - 562 157. …PETITIONERS (BY SRI B.V. SHANKAR NARAYAN RAO, SENIOR ADVOCATE A/W SRI HARISH S., ADVOCATE) AND: 1. THE UNION OF INDIA REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS NO. 130-C, NIRMAN BHAVAN MAULANA AZAD ROAD NEW DELH - 110 011. 2. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA REPRESENTED BY ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE ROOM NO. 06, 1ST FLOOR VIKAS SOUDHA, BANGALORE - 01. 3. BANGALORE METRO RAIL CORPORATION (REPRESENTED BY ITS MANAGING DIRECTOR) 3RD FLOOR, BMTC COMPLEX, SHANTHI NAGAR K.R. ROAD, BANGALORE - 27. …RESPONDENTS (BY SRI. GOWTHAMDEV C. ULLAL, ADVOCATE FOR R-1 & SMT. NILOUFER AKBAR, AGA FOR R-2) THIS WRIT PETITION IS FILED PRAYING CALL FOR RECORDS ON THE FILE OF RESPONDENT No. 2 IN THE MATTER OF ABANDONMENT OF METRO STATION ALREADY DESIGNATED IN CHIKKAJAJA VILLAGE, IN BLUE LINE METRO (AIRPORT METRO) PHASE 2B CONNECTING KRISHNARAJAPURAM AND KEMPEGOWDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND ETC. - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:34048-DB WP No. 23534 of 2025 THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: CORAM: HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE and HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE C M JOSHI ORAL ORDER (PER: HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE) 1. The petitioners have filed the present petition as a public interest litigation, inter alia, praying that the orders be issued to respondent No.3, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited [BMRCL], to adhere to the original plan to provide a metro station at Chikkajala Village by incorporating necessary changes in the map of the Metro Rail Network as published in the Annual Report 2023-2024. The petitioners state that they are the residents of Chikkajala Village and are interested in ensuring that a metro station is constructed at the said village on the blue line metro line, which connects Krishnarajapuram and Kempegowda International Airport in phase 2B. The petitioners state that the earlier proposal clearly indicated that a metro station would be constructed at Chikkajala Village. However, the subsequent annual report indicates that no such metro station is contemplated. - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:34048-DB WP No. 23534 of 2025 2. The petitioners state that they have also made a representation and in response thereto, had received a communication dated 16.05.2023 stating that the proposal for introduction of a metro station at Chikkajala between Bagalur Cross metro station and Dodda Jala metro station was under consideration of the State Government. However, it appears that said consideration is in the negative. 3. The learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the petitioners had also applied under the Right to Information Act, 2005 [the RTI Act] for seeking information regarding the changes made to the DPR notification and the reasons for the changes. However, the said application was rejected by a communication dated 09.03.2022 and the information as sought was not provided. 4. The question whether a metro station is required to be constructed at a particular spot on the metro line is clearly a question that is not required to be examined by this Court under the Article 226 of the Constitution of India. The manner in which the route map of a metro station is required and the stops on the metro line is clearly a matter which is required to be considered by the - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:34048-DB WP No. 23534 of 2025 authorities and the decision as to the number of stops on a metro line would not be amenable to judicial review. This Court also notes that the question as to the number of stops on the metro line connecting the international airport to city center is clearly a matter that is required to be determined by the concerned authorities. 5. We note that a similar public interest litigation captioned 'Sri B.G. Nanjundappa and others v. The Union of India and others' :W.P.No.19032/2025 [GM-RES-PIL] was rejected by this Court in terms of an order dated 23.07.2025. 6. As far as the petitioners' grievance regarding non-disclosure of information under the RTI Act is concerned, we note that there is no prayer challenging the communication dated 09.03.2022. More importantly, the petitioners have an equally efficacious remedy under the RTI Act against any communication rejecting the request for information. 7. Having stated the above, we also note that the representation dated 01.07.2022 was made by the Panchayat Development Officer to the Managing Director, BMRCL respondent No.3. It is the petitioners' case that the fate of the representation - 6 - HC-KAR NC: 2025:KHC:34048-DB WP No. 23534 of 2025 has not been disclosed yet. In this regard, we direct respondent No.3 to respond to the said representation. 8. The petition is dismissed with the aforesaid directions. Sd/- (VIBHU BAKHRU) CHIEF JUSTICE Sd/- (C M JOSHI) JUDGE KPS List No.: 1 Sl No.: 28