The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the State government to maintain status quo for one month on the proposed parking lot project in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. City-based advocate S Vasudeva has filed a public interest litigation contending that the space selected for the parking lot was close to the Kempegowda tower, a protected monument. He has further contended that the construction, within a radius of 300 metre of the monument was violative of the ASI Rules and Section 6 and 8 of the Karnataka Park, Play-fields and Open Spaces (Preservation and Regulation) Act, 1985. The respondents were liable for imprisonment for six months if the violation was established, he said. The petition said prior permission had not been obtained from the competent authority for the construction. The parking lot, proposed to be built on a five-acre plot at the south gate of the botanical garden is meant for visitors to the biannual flower shows. The government has suspended the work temporarily following public outcry over the project. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna adjourned the case to January 16, 2013. Panel formed The High Court has constituted a committee to look into the alleged irregularities in the MLA Layout. The committee comprises the commissioners of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and Bangalore Development Authority and government advocate Veerappa. During the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Shakuntala and others, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and B V Nagarathna said the committee shall visit the layout to take stock of the situation and file its report within three months. The petitioners have alleged that the BDA facilitated the formation of a site in the layout by encroaching a public road and a park. Earlier, the counsel for the BBMP informed the Court that the BDA had not given any documents to the Palike on the formation of a site in the middle of a road in the layout.