Karnataka HC gives state govt 4 weeks to submit report on pendency of pleas under Sakala scheme
The instruction was issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi on July 28 in the wake of a petition by one Gowrishankar S seeking the immediate disposal of all pending Sakala appeals 'along with disbursal of compensation to eligible applicants and actions initiated against defaulters.'
The court directed the state government to 'file a Status Report, clearly indicating: a) the number of applications made under the Sakala Act, which are pending; b) the date on which such applications were filed; and c) the estimated time required for disposal of the same.'
The petitioner approached the high court over alleged deficiencies in the implementation of Sakala services by the state government as promised under the Karnataka Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act, 2011. As per the Act, services provided under the scheme include issuing of caste certificates, income certificates, senior citizen cards, health cards, etc. The petitioner informed the court that the 'Sakala Act is not being implemented sufficiently and none of the applications are disposed of within time and the applications are also pending.'
Gowrishankar also sought the return of interest and penalties levied on property owners for delays in property tax payments. The high court, however, rejected this plea.
'We are not persuaded to accept that any such prayer can be considered in vacuum. In the event any particular taxpayer is aggrieved by imposition of interest despite delay on the part of the respondents, he would be entitled to seek appropriate remedies,' the high court ruled.
The Sakala scheme aims to curb corruption in public service delivery and improve efficiency in various government departments in Karnataka. The programme is backed by a comprehensive information technology network, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
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