Ashok Rai demolished property part of FDP which Justice M Nagaprasanna ordered speedy disposal

Mangaluru

Puttur MLA Ashok Rai illegally demolished a private property linked to Final Decree Proceedings (FDP) which High Court (HC) bench presided over by Justice M Nagaprasanna ordered speedy disposal. The FDP for nearly 50 acres of family property in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district is pending before the Bantwal court.

Rai and President of Mahalingeshwara Temple Management Committee P Eshwar Bhat hired a JCB privately, entered into the property illegally and unlawfully demolished structures on April 14, 2026. About 9.79 acres of property situated opposite to the women police station in Puttur town is part of FDP pertaining to nearly 50 acres. The police have booked Rai, Bhat and others for this illegal act. 

The blrpost.com has accessed an order passed by Justice Nagaprasanna of the Karnataka High Court (HC) directing the lower court to speedily dispose of the matter. 

Bringing urgency to a decades-old property dispute, the HC on July 23, 2025 directed a lower court in DK to expedite proceedings in a long-pending final decree case and dispose of it within a fixed timeline.

The order was passed hearing a writ petition (20715/2025) seeking early disposal of FDP No.1/2018, pending before the Senior Civil Judge and JMFC at Bantwal.

The petitioner had urged the HC to prioritise the matter, citing extraordinary delays spanning nearly 70 years. The plea sought directions for time-bound disposal, day-to-day hearings, and any further orders necessary in the interest of justice and equity.

After hearing counsel for the petitioner and examining the material on record, the court traced the origins of the dispute to O.S. No.19/1951. The matter had subsequently reached the Supreme Court in SLP (Civil) No.10408/2004, following which Final Decree Proceedings were initiated in FDP No.6/2007.

The present proceedings in FDP No.1/2018 were filed later by respondent No.2, seeking the passing of a final decree. The case remains pending adjudication before the Bantwal court.

Taking note of the prolonged pendency, Justice Nagaprasanna observed the need for expeditious resolution. The HC directed the concerned trial court to conclude the proceedings within an outer limit of four months from the date of receipt of the order, “if not earlier.” Yet the lower court has yet to dispose of the same. 

While the matter is still pending before the court, Rai, who has no stakeholding, entered demolished structures illegally. The family in the police complaint sought ₹ 2 crore compensation for the damage.