Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued a temporary order of the status quo, so that it held the authorities to convert Guest House Iconic Balabrooie to a constitutional club for legislators.
The court has also arrested the authorities of logging or cut trees in the area, without getting express permits from the court.
The division bench consisting of the acting Chairman of Satish Haki Chandra Sharma passed this order after hearing the application Interlokutory (IA) submitted by Dattatreya T devare and Bangalore environment trust.
The bench has also directed BBMP, which is the authority to conduct a tree census in Bengaluru City, to submit a detailed report on trees.
A similar report is also sought from the horticulture department as well.
This application was moved in the morning session, looking for an urgent trial, citing media reports vis-a-vis conversion of heritage buildings into a constitutional club.
“Balabrooie Guesthouse was considered one of the legacy sites in Bengaluru and was originally built in 1750 as the residence of Sir Mark Cubbon.
This campus has served as a guesthouse for many leading personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore, Indira Gandhi and Sir M Visvesvaraya during their visit to Bengaluru City.
Besides Significance and extraordinary historical value, the Balabrooie campus also has a large inheritance tree of more than 100 years.
I declare that because of the height and large root system spread across 40 feet, these trees can absorb the large amount of rain and prevent flooding in the area “Applicants have stated while looking for court intervention in this issue.