Kalaburagi: The Karnataka high court’s Kalaburagi bench has ruled that litigants can file petitions in Kannada before the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), setting aside a tribunal order directing a petitioner to resubmit his application in English.
He had approached KAT in Kannada challenging an additional selection list, but the tribunal, citing Rule 3 of the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 1986, returned the application and asked him to refile it in English. Challenging the June 5, 2025 order, Suryakanth argued that the tribunal’s regulations permitted submissions in Kannada. The HC examined Rule 9(iii) of the KAT Regulations, 1990, which allows applications, affidavits, memoranda, lists of documents and other papers to be filed in English or Kannada. The bench held that Suryakanth’s application complied with the rules and observed that KAT had failed to consider the 1990 regulations before returning it.
Stay updated with the latest Hubballi news. A division bench of Justices Ashok S Kinagi and Subramanya Rangarao passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Kalaburagi-based photographer Suryakanth. Allowing his plea, the HC directed the tribunal to dispose of the original application in accordance with law, clarifying that litigants cannot be denied the option of filing applications in Kannada before KAT. Download the TOI App.