Karnataka HC closes PIL seeking Army intervention in Shirur landslide rescue ops | Bangalore News
The Karnataka High Court has closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that had sought the Army’s intervention in rescue operations following a landslide at Shirur in the state’s Uttara Kannada district on July 16.
The matter was closed on Monday by a bench of Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind.
After taking note of the submissions, the court observed that the situation at the site had gone back to normal and that all but two bodies had been found. The compensation with regard to the two missing people had also been fixed at Rs 5 lakh each, the court noted.
Seven people died and two others went missing after a landslide hit Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district on the morning of July 16.
Advocates Siji Malayil and Subhash Chandran had filed the PIL before the Karnataka High Court on July 23, raising concerns that authorities were clearing rubble from the site instead of looking for the missing people. It was also alleged that several people from Kerala – a truck driver from the state, Arjun, was among those who had gone missing after the landslide – who had expertise in the matter were being mishandled by the Karnataka Police.
The PIL went on to request a writ directing all possible help for the survivors as well as the deployment of the armed forces in the rescue operation.
