Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the State Government to consider the representation for renewal of leased property of the Mysore Race Club (MRC) in the next three months. The Court has also directed the State to not dispossess the MRC property till the disposal of the petition.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by MRC challenging the show-cause notice issued by the Public Works Department (PWD) directing the MRC to stop racing activities and handover the property to the PWD.

MRC has contended that on March 28, 1996, a lease deed was entered into between the MRC and the State to conduct horse races for a period of 20 years. The original lease period commenced from 1976. Since the lease period was expiring on March 31, 2016, the MRC submitted a representation dated February 5, 2016, seeking renewal of the lease.

Following this, a letter dated April 6, 2016 was issued by the PWD granting temporary permission to carry out club activities up to three months. The MRC told the Court that it had paid property tax for 2016-17 and had also paid the licence fee for conducting races between September and November 2016. Accordingly, permission was granted by the authorities.

With the lease period expiring, the MRC (petitioner) remitted the lease rent for the period April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 as it had expected renewal of the lease. But instead, the PWD issued a show-cause notice alleging poor maintenance.

The PWD directed the MRC to stop all the racing activities and handover the property to the Department, the petitioner (MRC) submitted. The Court in its last hearing had stayed the PWD show-cause notice.

The MRC contended that there was no opportunity given to it even to respond to the notice. Now the Court has directed the State to consider the MRC representation in three months.