Karnataka seems to lose many court cases not for want of merit but by default. Two examples will suffice. And I have chosen these two for the reason they have made news. I am sure there may be many cases our State might have lost for reasons of deliberate negligence (to help the opposite party) or due to the incompetence of its Advocates.
The mishandling of Cauvery Tribunal case is well - known. The high cost of this case is also well-known. Whose money is it, anyway? I am a witness to the proceedings of this case before the Tribunal for two days in Delhi many years ago when everything went against our State. I was not at all surprised and I had written about it. This has been the case since 1990 and continues to this day.
The second example is that of obtaining the Classical Status to Kannada language from the Central Government. As already reported, our research, our profile of the language and the presentations in this regard to the Centre were found wanting in facts, information and historical authenticity to convince the Centre in comparison to what the Tamil Nadu had done. We were not able to support our case with enough and conclusive documentary evidence for a long time.
This gave an opportunity to a Tamil Nadu Advocate Gandhi, (an unlikely name for a Tamilian) who speaks Kannada as proficiently as any Kannadiga, to challenge Kannada’s eligibility for the classical status.
I have been wondering, like many others, how come Deepak Thimaya, anchor of Kannada Udaya TV, known for his interviews of rich and famous personalities, has taken upon himself to challenge Gandhi in the Madras High Court.
It appears in this case Gandhi had also challenged the claim of Andhra Pradesh seeking the classical status. The Andhra Government immediately reacted and appointed one Dhananjaya to implead itself in the case. But Karnataka as is its wont did not bother. In fact, the Andhra Advocate Dhananjaya had asked our Law Minister Suresh Kumar, when he met him in Bangalore, if Karnataka would do like-wise. The answer never came. However, when Dhananjaya met Deepak Thimaya and mentioned his encounter with the Law Minister, Deepak asked if he could implead himself being a Kannadiga. The Andhra Advocate Dhananjaya said it was possible. So it was.
Later the Tamil Nadu Advocate Gandhi, it is said, met our Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa at a wedding and was introduced. But Yeddyurappa could not place Gandhi as the Advocate connected to the case and was silent.
This case is also an example to show how difficult it is to untangle oneself from court cases once you are in even if the issues have become irrelevant or infructuous.
Deepak Thimaya's advocate argued, when the case came up for hearing on October 31, that since the Central Government had already accorded the status of classical language to Kannada and Telugu, Gandhi’s petition may be dismissed. But Gandhi argued that he was questioning the action of the Central Government in according the status and hence the case must proceed. So it was.
The case is now posted to November 27. It seems Karnataka had submitted an affidavit stating that Kannada is an ancient language of 2,500 - year history and it has to be substantiated and proved. It is also alleged that the Centre has compromised by reducing the eligibility criteria to get the classical status from 2,500 years to 1,000 years to give the classical status to Telugu and Kannada.
Some case, some argument. I am myself a victim of this kind of rigmarole by the Judges as well. Let it be. God sees the truth. But takes time. Courts do see the truth but compromise.
But before I close, let me recommend Deepak Thimaya for the proposed honour the State Government is bestowing upon some 100 persons who have been fighting for the cause of Kannada.
Sirigannadam Gelge.
