Sri V Muniraju v. The Commissioner

-e1e-e NC:(2026:KHC:30725( WP(No.(21414(of(2025( ( , ,,HC-KAR( (e ( e INATHEAHIGHACOURTAOFAKARNATAKAAATABENGALURUA e NDDATEDATHISATHEA22 ADAYAOFAJUNE,A2026A e BEFOREA e e THEAHON'BLEAMR.AJUSTICEABAMASHYAMAPRASADA e WRITAPETITIONANO.A21414AOFA2025A(LB-BMP)A e A e BETWEEN:AA e A

1.- SRI-V-MUNIRAJU-e S/O.-VENKATAPPA.S.-- e AGED-ABOUT-69-YEARS,-- e R/AT-NO.4444,-'APPA-AMMA-NILAYA'-- FLOOR-MILL-ROAD,--e BEHIND-RAJESHWARI-THEATRE,-- e KONENA-AGRAHARA,-- e BENGALURU-560017.- - e

2.- SRI.-V.-BALARAJU,- e S/O.-S.-VENKATAPPA,-- Digitally signede by R/AT-NO.7,-KARIYAMMANA-AGRAHARA,- VANAMALA BELLANDUR,-- N BENGALURU-560103.- Location: e -HIGH COURT OF …PETITIONERS-KARNATAKA (BY-SRI.-RAJU-S..,-ADVOCATE)- A AND:A A

1.-THE-COMMISSIONER-BRUHAT-BENGALURU--MAHANAGARA-PALIKE,--N.R.-SQUARE,-BENGALURU-560002.--e2e-e NC:(2026:KHC:30725( WP(No.(21414(of(2025( ( , ,,HC-KAR( ( ( -

2.-THE-ASSISTANT-REVENUE-OFFICER-WHITEFIELD-SUB-DIVISION,--BRUHAT-BENGALURU-MAHANAGARA-PALIKE,-RAMAGONDANAHALLI,--BENGALURU-560066.--…RESPONDENTS-(BY-SRI.-MALLIKARJUN-REDDY-K-S.,-ADVOCATE-FOR-R1-AND-R2)---THIS-W.P.-IS-FILED-UNDER-ARTICLES-226-AND-227-OF-THE-CONSTITUTION-OF-INDIA-PRAYING-TO-QUASH-THE-ENDORSEMENT-BEARING-NO.-S.K.A/W.F/U.V/PR//2025-26-DATED-11.07.2025-AS-PER-ANNX-E;-DIRECT-THE-R-2-TO-ISSUANCE-OF-E-KHATA-IN-FAVOUR-OF-THE-PETITIONERS-IN-RESPECT-OF-THE-SUBJECT-PROPERTY-WITHOUT-INSISTING-FOR-PAYMENT-OF-INTEREST-ON-THE-BETTERMENT-CHARGES.---THIS-PETITION,-COMING-ON-FOR-ORDERS,-THIS-DAY,-ORDER-WAS-MADE-THEREIN-AS-UNDER:-CORAM:-HON'BLE-MR.-JUSTICE-B-M-SHYAM-PRASAD-----

ORAL ORDER

The petitioner has been served with the Endorsement dated 11.07.2025 [Annexure-E], and the petitioner is informed that he must offer certain amounts as betterment charges and interest. The petitioner contends that this is in response to an application for e-Katha and relies upon the orders of this Court dated 20.12.2023 in the writ petition in W.P. No.28654/2023 and similar matters to impugn these demands. Sri S Raju, the learned counsel for the petitioner, has filed a memo for disposal which reads as under. "The Petitioner in the above case humbly submits as follows:-

The above Writ Petition has been filed challenging the endorsement at Annexure-E and seeking a direction to the Respondents to issue an e-Khata in favour of the Petitioner in respect of the petition schedule property.

The Petitioner submitted an online application for issuance of a digital e-Khata on

25.03.2025 in respect of the petition schedule

property. A copy of the acknowledgement bearing No. K1489015 is produced herewith for the kind perusal of this Hon'ble Court.

The issue involved in the present writ petition is squarely covered by the judgment reported in SCC OnLine Kar 3559. Subsequently, this Hon'ble Court has also disposed of several similar writ petitions following the said judgment. By way of illustration, reliance is placed on the orders passed in W.P. No. 28654/2023 and W.P. No. 14446/2024 (Annexures-F and G respectively).

In the above circumstances, the Petitioner respectfully prays that this Hon'ble Court may be pleased to dispose of the present writ petition in terms of the orders passed in the aforesaid cases and grant such other reliefs as this Hon'ble Court deems fit in the facts and circumstances of the case, in the interest of justice and equity."

¶2This Court in the aforesaid writ petition has referred to an earlier decision in 'S R Constructions Partner M/s. S R Constructions v. State of Karnataka, Department of Housing and Urban

Development and Others'1, observing that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, [now Greater Bengaluru Authority], cannot insist on payment of betterment charges as a precondition for issuance of e-Katha. On behalf of the respondents, it is pointed out that the Endorsement does not refer to e-Katha and in fact, the petitioner's application for e-Katha is subsequent to the Endorsement dated 11.07.2025. Be these as it may, the Authorities will have to consider the petitioner's application for issuance of e-Katha in the light of the afore with liberty to the Authorities to recover betterment charges as would be permissible in law. Hence, the following:

ORDER

[a] The petition stands disposed of, and the impugned Endorsement dated

11.07.2025 [Annexure-E] stands quashed.

1 [2013] 3 KLJ 588

[b] The Memo for Disposal dated

05.06.2026 is accepted directing the second respondent to issue e-Katha to the petitioner in terms of the application already filed, within an outer limit of two [2] months from today and without prejudice to the authorities to recover betterment charges in accordance with law.

Sd/- (B M SHYAM PRASAD) JUDGE

AN/-