On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court took action by issuing a notice to the state government regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) petition. This petition challenges the naming of public places and government buildings in Davanagere after Minister SS Mallikarjun and his father, Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa.

A notice has been issued by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice Krishna S Dixit to the leaders, the state government, the Deputy Commissioner, the Corporation, and the Zilla Panchayat of Davanagere.

Advocate Vinod Kumar M, representing Raghavendra KC, emphasized in the plea that in 2012, the High Court had ruled that it was illegal to name public property after a living politician.

On June 4, 2012, an order was issued by Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice BV Nagarathna, directing the removal of the name of then MLA K Madal Virupakshappa from the name of a playground.

"It shall not be named after any living person and certainly not in the name of a public figure who is certain to gain advantage from such a name. If there is any politician who is desirous of having his name immortalized, he is free to do it on his own property, provided that no public funds have been used," the Court said.

The judgment had additionally instructed the Deputy Commissioner to investigate other instances of public buildings named after living politicians and to take suitable remedial measures. If such actions were not undertaken, individuals were granted the freedom to approach the Court for necessary intervention.

Given this context, the plea brought to the Court's attention numerous public and government properties in Davanagere bearing the names of Mallikarjun and Shivashankarappa. These include a bus stand, a lake, the Zilla Panchayat Sabhangana, the Corporation meeting hall, a park, and an entire layout.

Moreover, attention was drawn to a signboard at the entrance of Davanagere city, which acknowledges that the lighting was financed by public funds, yet it features a photograph of the father-son duo.