- 1 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:32502-DB CCC No. 693 of 2025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU DATED THIS THE 1ST DAY OF JULY, 2026 PRESENT THE HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE AND THE HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE K.S. HEMALEKHA CIVIL CONTEMPT PETITION NO. 693 OF 2025 BETWEEN: 1. MANJUNATH MURTHY S/O MADDURAPPA, (LATE) AGED ABOUT 53 YEARS R/A AMBEDKAR NAGAR MULLUR COLONY VARTHUR HOBLI CARMELLARAM POST BANGALORE EAST TALUK - 560035. …COMPLAINANT (BY SRI. BYRE REDDY M S, ADVOCATE) AND: 1. KAVITHA S THE TAHSILDAR BENGALURU SOUTH TALUK KANDHAYA BHAVANA, BENGALURU - 560009. 2. SHEKAR THE TAHSILDAR GRADE II Digitally signed by K P SWETHA Location: High Court of Karnataka - 2 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:32502-DB CCC No. 693 of 2025 BENGALURU EAST TALUK K R PURAM BENGALURU - 560036. …ACCUSED 3. STATE OF KARNATAKA REVENUE DEPARTMENT M S BUILDING AMBEDKAR VEEDHI BENGALURU - 560001 REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY …PRO-FORMA RESPONDENT (BY SMT. B. SUKANYA BALIGA, AGA) THIS CCC IS FILED UNDER SECTIONS 11 AND 12 OF THE CONTEMPT OF COURTS ACT, PRAYING TO INITIATE PROSECUTION AGAINST THE ACCUSED FOR WILFUL DISOBEDIENCE OF THE DIRECTIONS OF THIS HON'BLE COURT IN ORDERS DATED 06.02.2025 PASSED IN WP NO.34434/2024 AND SENTENCE THEM FOR OFFENCE OF CONTEMPT OF COURT. AND ETC. THIS PETITION, COMING ON FOR ORDERS, THIS DAY, ORDER WAS MADE THEREIN AS UNDER: - 3 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:32502-DB CCC No. 693 of 2025 CORAM: HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE and HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE K.S. HEMALEKHA ORAL ORDER (PER: HON'BLE MR. VIBHU BAKHRU, CHIEF JUSTICE) 1. The complainant has filed the present complaint alleging willful disobedience of the order dated 06.02.2025 passed by the learned Single Judge of this Court in W.P.No.34434/2024 (KLR-RES). 2. The complainant had filed the said petition, inter alia, seeking certified copies of the Tappal Registers and the General Receipt Registers pertaining to Survey No. 44, Mullur Village, Varthur Hobli, Bengaluru East Taluk. The said petition was disposed of with a direction to the accused to furnish the documents as sought for by the complainant. 3. It was submitted on behalf of the accused that the documents as sought for were not available, as they had been destroyed. - 4 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:32502-DB CCC No. 693 of 2025 4. In the aforesaid context, this Court had passed an order dated 13.10.2025 directing the accused to file an affidavit clearly disclosing as to when it was discovered that the documents in question are not available; what steps have been taken to trace out the said documents and what steps are taken to assign responsibility on the concerned officials for such missing documents. 5. Pursuant to the said order, the accused had filed an affidavit dated 07.11.2025 affirming that necessary steps will be taken to trace out the missing documents and to assign responsibility. Thereafter, the accused had filed another affidavit dated 23.06.2026, inter alia, stating that inquiries have revealed that the General Register pertaining to the year 1979-80 is classified under Category-D. It is stated that all the documents classified under said category are required to be retained only for a period of five years in terms of Government Circular dated 25.09.2014. It is affirmed that as per the cataloging and indexing, no General Register (Category D) in respect to the property in question for the year 1978-1979, is available. - 5 - HC-KAR NC: 2026:KHC:32502-DB CCC No. 693 of 2025 6. In view of the said affidavit, we are unable to accept that the facts in the present case indicate that the orders passed by this court have been willfully disobeyed. The complaint is accordingly closed. However, we clarify that this order will not preclude the complainant from availing substantive remedies, albeit in accordance with law. Sd/- (VIBHU BAKHRU) CHIEF JUSTICE Sd/- (K.S. HEMALEKHA) JUDGE KPS List No.: 2 Sl No.: 11