K’taka HC orders verification of Gowda’s forest land ownership in BM Kaval

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed revenue authorities to verify whether the 532-acre 15-gunta forest land in BM Kaval, Kengeri Hobli, Bengaluru South Taluk, was indeed allotted to M.B. Nemanna Gowda in 1973, before taking any further action on land record entries. This comes in the wake of a single-judge order that had directed the revenue department to record the land in Nemanna Gowda’s name.

The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha, heard the government’s review petition challenging the single-judge order. After examining the matter, the bench directed the revenue authorities to first ascertain whether the original allotment in 1973 had indeed granted ownership rights to Nemanna Gowda. The bench clarified that no fresh order is required; the verification by the authorities would suffice.

During the hearing, government counsel submitted that the BM Kaval village lands, totaling 1,382.18 acres, had been declared forest area. Initial and final notifications for the forest status had been issued in 1933 and 1935 respectively. The counsel also noted that BM Kaval is not an Inam village, and therefore no applications for land ownership rights could be entertained.

Additionally, the government argued that the land records submitted by Nemanna Gowda in the original petition appeared to be potentially forged. They highlighted that Gowda had previously claimed ownership of as much as 17,000 acres of forest land, suggesting a pattern of inflated or disputed claims. The division bench considered these submissions before issuing directions for verification.

Background: Nemanna Gowda had filed a petition before a single-judge bench on August 13, 2025, seeking directions to the Tahsildar to record the 532-acre forest land in BM Kaval in his name, citing that it had been allotted to him on December 20, 1973.

On August 30, 2025, the single-judge bench unexpectedly passed an order in his favour without hearing the government’s submissions, instructing the Tahsildar to verify the land records and, if the allotment was valid, to update the entries accordingly.

The government had challenged this order through a review petition, prompting the High Court to direct a thorough verification by the revenue authorities before proceeding with registration of land records in Nemanna Gowda’s name.

The court’s order aims to ensure due diligence in forest land ownership cases, balancing historical allotments with legal and administrative requirements.