"Court cannot decide on location of toilets": Karnataka High Court dismisses plea against construction of public toilet

Read Time: 03 minutes

A Karnataka High Court bench of Chief Justice Rituraj Awasthi and Justice Sachin Magdum noted that a writ court cannot decide the location of toilets.

The Court made this remark while dismissing a PIL seeking directions not to put up public toilets at 13th Main Road, Sadashiv Nagar in Bengaluru.

The petition filed by a group of residents in the locality sought the court to direct Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) not to put up public toilets in the locality on the ground that it will cause "inconvenience" to the residents of the locality.

The petitioners also argued that earlier the opening for the toilets was inside a park, however according to the present design the toilets will open in the roadside thereby causing nuisance to the residents. The petitioners further argued that when the BBMP vehicles come to collect the solid waste, the residents will be put to trouble.

The court on hearing the petitioners noted that a Writ court cannot decide the location of toilets and that it was for the authorities to decide the location of toilets.

The court however directed BBMP not to cause any nuisance to public in construction of these toilets.

The court further held that it is for the authorities to decide where the opening of the toilet should be inside the park or in the main road and that the residents of the locality can make a representation before the authorities to rectify the same and the authorities can look into it.

 

Case title: Aruna Reddy Vs State of Karnataka