I have been made party in writ petition related to BMIC in Supreme Court, says Deve Gowda

Expressing regret that he was being forced to pay a lawyer’s fee to fight cases in court at his age, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Wednesday said that he had been made a party in a writ petition linked to the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Project filed in Supreme Court.

Speaking to reporters here, he said that besides him, the State Government and some farmers have also been made parties in the petition. “Even at my age, I am compelled to pay a lawyer’s fee. Around ₹55 lakh is paid to legal consultants to handle NICE matters by the State government. Despite the presence of Advocate General and legal advisers, another legal consultant has been appointed specifically for the NICE issue,” he said.

The former Prime Minister said, “(Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah was the Finance Minister when I was the Chief Minister. The BMIC project had the concurrence of the Finance Department, and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed. Mr. Siddaramaiah is fully aware of all the details of that agreement”.