KN Puttegowda, Bengaluru civic agency's legal bulwark for 40 years, dies

Time of India

2 days ago

Bengaluru: Senior advocate KN Puttegowda, the man behind BBMP's successful legal defence of public assets worth crores, passed away at his Bengaluru residence after a long battle with motor neuron disease (MND).
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He was 69.
As per his wishes, his family has decided to donate his body to Adichunchanagiri Hospital for medical research and to aid the visually impaired.
For nearly four decades, Puttegowda was BBMP's legal bulwark, handling over 8,000 cases since 1986, many involving high-stakes public interest litigations and lake encroachments. His courtroom advocacy helped BBMP retain key parcels of land across Bengaluru, including the Dasarahalli Lake near Magadi Road (now Dr Ambedkar Stadium), 8 acres in Milk Colony (Malleswaram), Byrasandra Lake, and open spaces at BTM Layout and Coffee Board Layout.
Many of these lands were later turned into public parks.
In the final chapter of his life, Puttegowda fought a different kind of battle—against silence and apathy. Diagnosed with MND in 2022, he gradually lost his ability to speak and move, surviving on supplements, round-the-clock nursing care, and Rs 2 lakh per month in medical expenses. Yet BBMP, to whom he dedicated his legal acumen for 38 years, failed to pay Rs 35 lakh in dues pending since 2014.
Despite appeals to DyCM DK Shivakumar and the then BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, there was no response—except for a one-time Rs 10 lakh payment when he was hospitalised.
Puttegowda used to charge a modest: Rs 15,000 per case, totalling Rs 35 lakh. When his health deteriorated, he appealed to the BBMP: "The govt gives Rs 25 lakh compensation to suicide victims. I protected public lands worth crores. My health declined due to overwork.
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My case deserves special consideration."
A champion of public causes, Puttegowda also took bold stances outside the courtroom. In 2008, as president of the Advocates Association, he led a boycott against the chief justice of the state high court over corruption allegations—an act of rare defiance that led to the chief justice's transfer and resignation, following a Supreme Court intervention.
Former law minister Suresh Kumar, his ex-classmate and close friend since 1981, recalled: "One of us became a minister, the other became the greatest advocate the city has ever seen.
Bengaluru owes a great deal to him."
His autobiography, Mareyuva Munna' (before forgetting), details his life's work, legal victories, and his commitment to justice.
He raised his daughters with discipline and self-reliance. "Even if he gave us Rs 10, he asked for Re 1 back," said his daughter Kavya. His wife added, "We barely went on vacations. He was always working, outside home, fighting someone's battle."
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