DNBAN23685 | 4/21/2010 | Author : Odeal D’Souza | WC :231

The Karnataka high court has rejected a plea from the state government to allow it to give money instead of land to constables of the Special Task Force (STF) who were instrumental in ending the terror caused by forest brigand Veerappan.
A division bench of justices KL Manjunath and BV Nagarathna was furious when the government advocate put forward the plea on Tuesday during the hearing on a contempt petition filed by Bhaskar Rai, Ningappa and Jay Swamy, who had worked in special task force and are now with the Karnataka State Reserve Police. The petitioners contended that the government was yet to implement an order issued by the high court in 2009, directing it to give sites to STF constables.
The bench observed that the state had promised to give STF constables plots after Veerappan was killed. The STF had not asked for plots, the court said. The government could not go back on its promise and should abide by the earlier high court order, directing it to given plots to the constables, the judges said.
The hearing has been adjourned to Wednesday.
The state government had promised 30ft by 40ft plots to all the 754 constables of the STF after Veerappan’s death in 2005. But the government is yet to keep its promise. State home secretary Abijeeth Das Gupta was present in the court during the hearing on Tuesday.

http://www.todaynews.in/city/bangalore/state-must-keep-its-promise-to-stf-men-hc-65969.html