Karnataka High Court Imposes ₹10 Lakh Costs for Abusive Litigation and Suppression in Land Acquisition Case

The Karnataka High Court on July 21, 2025, dismissed a writ petition challenging a 1986 land acquisition case, imposing ₹10 lakh in exemplary costs on five petitioners.

The Court found they had suppressed facts from eight prior rounds of related litigation, calling their conduct a “game of judicial hide and seek.”

The court condemned the petitioner for abuse of the legal process through deceit and concealment. This marked their ninth attempt on the same cause of action.

The Court directed the costs to be paid to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, issuing a stern warning against repeated litigation based on suppression and fraud.

[Smt. Gangamma and ors v. State of Karnataka and ors]