MLA Ashok Rai and Panjigudde Eshwar Bhat illegally demolished the structures
Bantwal Court orders notice to MLA Ashok Rai in property demolition case
Bengaluru
In a significant development, the Senior Civil Judge and JMFC Court in Bantwal has ordered the issuance of notices to Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and Mahalingeshwara Temple Management Committee President Eshwar Bhat in connection with a property demolition case.
The order was passed while hearing an Interlocutory Application (IA) filed by members of the Kedige family, seeking a temporary injunction restraining the two from interfering with a 9.79-acre parcel of land located opposite the Puttur Women Police Station in Dakshina Kannada district.
On April 14, 2026, Rai and Bhat, along with others, privately hired a JCB (earthmover), unlawfully entered the disputed private property, and demolished structures standing on the land without legal authority.
The property in question is currently under the custody of a court-appointed receiver, Aravind Rao Kedige, as Final Decree Proceedings (FDP) are underway before the Bantwal court. Acting on a complaint filed by Kedige, the Puttur Town Police have registered a case against Rai and Bhat and have initiated an investigation into the incident.
The family also moved IA in Bantwal court seeking temporary injunction. During the hearing on April 23, 2026, the court observed that Rai and Bhat are third parties to the ongoing proceedings and they must be heard. Accordingly, the court directed that notices be issued to both individuals.
Notably, the disputed land forms part of a larger 53-acre property involved in the FDP, the expedited disposal of which was earlier directed by the Karnataka High Court under a bench presided over by Justice M. Nagaprasanna. The petitioners have alleged that Rai and Bhat carried out the demolition citing a non-existent court order, a claim that is likely to be central to the ongoing legal proceedings.
Members of the Kedige family have asserted that the actions of Rai and Bhat amount to a serious violation of the legal process and have expressed confidence that those responsible will face appropriate legal consequences as the case progresses.