Karnataka High Court notice to Union and State governments on plea against shifting BTC’s racecourse to Kunigal Stud Farm
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday ordered issue of notice to the State and the Union governments on a PIL petition which has questioned
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday ordered issue of notice to the State and the Union governments on a PIL petition which has questioned the State government’s decision to hand over 110 acres of the historic Kunigal Stud Farm to the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) on a long-term lease for relocating its racecourse from the centre of Bengaluru. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha passed the order on the petition filed by Vijay Nishanth, a city-based urban conservationist and environmental activist. The petitioner has sought a direction to quash the Government Order of March 6, 2026, issued based on the State Cabinet’s decision to hand over a portion of the stud farm land to BTC, while contending that the decision was arbitrary as it violated environmental statutes and provisions of the Constitution.
From Tipu’s time Pointing out that the stud farm was established during the reign of Tipu Sultan and later used by the British, the petitioner has said that it is one of India’s oldest and most prominent horse-breeding centres and the farm is not merely a ‘vacant land’ but a mature, self-sustaining ecosystem of approximately around 469 acres. The petition has claimed the presence of heritage trees, diverse flora and fauna in the the farmland, and its vital ecological connection to the nearby Kunigal lake. “The GO has been issued without any prior environmental impact assessment, biodiversity assessment, or hydrological study,” it has been contended in the petition, while claiming that the proposed shift of racecourse to the stud farm would lead to fragmentation of grazing land, destruction of habitat, and irreversible ecological damage.
It has been stated in the petition that former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had previously written to the State government, requesting that the farm be preserved for its traditional equine purposes. Representation to NBA Stating that he on May 11, 2026, submitted a representation to the Biodiversity Authority (NBA) seeking assessment and a declaration of the stud farm as a “biodiversity heritage site” under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the petitioner said the NBA on May 26 forwarded his representation to the State Biodiversity Board for consideration, but the board has not taken any action in this regard so far.
The Bench has adjourned further hearing till July 15.
The BriefWire