The awareness here is dismal
On not being assigned any environmental cases, although he is known for being interested in environmental affairs:
I have been deliberately kept away from anything to do with the environment as far as assignments are concerned. The reason for not assigning any such case to me can only be answered by the Chief Justice. I can tell you that immense damage has been done to the Cubbon Park case (public interest litigations (pil) were filed against official negligence of Bangalore's main park) as a result of my being shifted. This case was suo moto .
On how the restriction on taking up cases suo moto by judges affected him:
It has not affected me in the least. I can still do personally whatever I want to for environment protection.
On being effectively sidelined:
It makes no difference to me, unlike others. But the other point is that there are a very large number of environmental issues in Karnataka that the court should take up. I can even catalogue them. There is the example of the level of elephant poaching and that of smaller animals like deer and wild boar in Karnataka's forests, which are being mercilessly butchered and their meat sold openly in markets. In my view, the devastation of forest life in Karnataka is amongst the highest in the country. Poaching cases are hardly registered, and when they are, the culprits go free.
On the kind of pressures that can be brought to bear on a case, considering the state's aggressive policies that have come into conflict with environmental safeguards and the interests of local communities. The government's 1996 guidelines mention ecological measures, but nothing has worked as yet. On how this bears in court:
The court has done absolutely nothing. The court in Karnataka should have come down heavily with regard to poaching and pollution of waterways. Another thing is that no environmental