Party plans to file review petition in the Supreme Court
The countdown for the Janata Dal (Secular) to vacate its office at No. 3, Racecourse Road, here, has begun.
With less than three months left for the party to vacate the imposing stone building, which has witnessed the rise and fall of stalwarts of the Janata Parivar such as Ramakrishna Hegde, H.D. Deve Gowda, S.R. Bommai, J.H. Patel and Siddaramaiah, party leaders appear determined to retain their hold on it.
As a last-ditch effort to retain the building, originally known as the Congress Bhavan, the party is planning to file a review petition appealing to the Supreme Court to reconsider its January verdict asking the JD(S) to vacate the office, standing on 4,000-sq.m area, in favour of the Congress.
Party senior leader H.D. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu that though the JD(S) had decided to file a review petition in the apex court, search was on to find an alternative office on rent in the heart of the city. “We are looking for a place close to the Vidhana Soudha and Majestic area,” he said.
On the other hand, the Congress has not yet decided on how to use the building. “We will decide once the JD(S) vacates the place,” said Congress leader B.L. Shankar.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary K. Venkateshwar said that when the JD(S) sought time to vacate the building in view of the Lok Sabha elections and gave an undertaking to move out by December 31, the Supreme Court directed the party to pay the arrears of rent for the period of its occupancy. A review petition seeking exemption from paying rent arrears was dismissed by the court, he said.
(The Hindu)
