B NAGARAJA Vs. STATE OF KARNATAKA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners in these batch of writ petitions are all purchasers of individual sites in a residential layout formed by M/s.BEML (HQRS & MKTG) SC/ST Employees Welfare Association in Sy.Nos.175, 175/1, 176, 428 and 439, in all measuring 14 acres 30 guntas. The sale deeds were executed by the developer in favour of the petitioners in the year 2000 and thereafter.

(2.) The grievance of the petitioners is that the third respondent-Gram Panchayat stopped collecting the property tax in the year 2019. By pointing out to the documents produced along with the memorandum of writ petitions, the learned Counsel for the petitioners submitted that the third respondent-Gram Panchayat registered the Khatas in the name of individual site owners, assessed the property to tax, collected the taxes and has issued receipts for having collected the property tax.

(3.) Learned Counsel for the petitioners submits that receipts have been given by the third respondent-Gram Panchayat for payment of property tax till 2018-19. In the year 2019-2020, when the petitioners approached the Gram Panchayat for payment of property tax, the third respondent refused to collect property tax. It is submitted that no information was given to the petitioners as to why the property tax is not being collected. Consequently, it appears that the petitioners collected the Bank account number of the third respondent-Gram Panchayat and have directly deposited the property tax. The prayer in these petitions is to direct the third respondent-Gram Panchayat to issue the tax paid receipts consequent to the property tax paid by the petitioners. In this regard, representations dated 17.02.2020 and 05.03.2020 were made to the third respondent-Gram Panchayat.