HC halts construction in Bengaluru’s Whitefield over alleged violations, seeks GBA action
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ordered an interim halt to further construction in an alleged unauthorised high-density paying guest (PG) development in Whitefield and directed the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Commissioner to ensure that no construction activity takes place at the site.
According to a press release here today from the Whitefield Citizens’ Ward Committee The order was passed while hearing W.P. No. 35550/2025 on Thursday. The court also directed the GBA Commissioner to obtain instructions and inform it about the action taken in relation to the project since the demolition order was issued.
The Commissioner has further been asked to file an affidavit setting out the steps already taken and those proposed to be taken, according to the petitioners.
The proceedings relate to a development on Mims Gulmohar Road/Athashri Road in Whitefield, where residents have raised concerns over the construction of an estimated 40-50 buildings, several of them reportedly seven to eight storeys high, along an access road said to be only 10-15 feet wide.
The petitioners have alleged that the development has resulted in extremely high density and poses concerns relating to traffic, parking, sewage, water supply, ventilation and access for emergency services.
Residents approached the court through legal intervention after, they said, representations to the authorities failed to stop the construction.
A key issue raised in the proceedings is the alleged approval of individual sites and buildings despite claims that the layout itself had not received the requisite approval from the competent planning authority.
According to the petitioners, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had earlier issued warnings and subsequently demolition orders and notices in relation to the layout. They have questioned how sites could subsequently be registered, khatas issued and building plans approved if the underlying layout was unauthorised.
The case also brings under scrutiny the functioning of the state’s planning and revenue approval systems. The petitioners referred to government assurances that layout approval, registration, khata issuance and building plan approvals would be integrated to prevent unauthorised developments from progressing through different stages of the administrative system.
They have sought scrutiny of the entire chain of approvals rather than action being confined to individual buildings.
The BDA has reportedly told the court that the matter no longer falls within its purview following changes in Bengaluru’s governance framework, placing the responsibility before the GBA.
The High Court’s direction to the GBA Commissioner to explain the action taken since the demolition order comes amid growing concerns over unplanned high-density construction in parts of Whitefield.
Residents have also pointed to similar concerns in areas such as Prashant Layout and White Rose Layout, where they allege that unauthorised or rule-violating constructions have altered the character of residential neighbourhoods.
The petitioners have welcomed the interim order, saying the proceedings could provide an opportunity to examine whether enforcement mechanisms are adequate to prevent unauthorised construction from becoming irreversible.