Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka has dropped contempt of court proceedings against Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad on complaints of encroachment of storm water drains and a park by two malls and a star hotel.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri and Justice K.S. Mudagal passed the order after the BBMP produced a copy of the order passed by the Commissioner, who had rejected complaints made by the petitioner — Samarpana, a cultural and social organisation. The contempt proceedings were initiated as the BBMP Commissioner had not considered the petitioner’s complaints despite an order passed by the court to consider and dispose within three months the complaints against Brigade Enterprises Ltd., G. Stand Hotels Ltd., and ETA Karnataka Estates Ltd.

The Commissioner had found that the allegations of encroachment of storm water drains by Brigade Enterprises Ltd. — while constructing buildings that house Orion Mall, hotel Sheraton Grand and the World Trade Centre in Rajajinagar — were not true. He pointed out that the drains did not exist in the said land after the State authorities acquired these lands in 1940s for the formation of an industrial layout.

On the allegation that G. Stand Hotels Ltd. had encroached upon a drain while constructing a building that houses JW Marriott, a five-star hotel, the Commissioner found that there was no encroachment as the hotel had built the drain as per BBMP’s specification and a certain open space was used by taking prior permission from the civic body.

The BBMP Commissioner also found no evidence against ETA Karnataka Estates Ltd. regarding allegations that a piece of land reserved for an open field and park was encroached while building ETA Mall on Magadi Road.