Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Sep 15: The Karnataka High Court on Monday, September 15, dismissed a set of public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the state government’s decision to invite Booker Prize–winning author Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the historic Mysuru Dasara celebrations.

A division bench comprising chief justice N V Anjaria and justice C M Joshi rejected the PILs filed by former MP Pratap Simha, Girish Kumar, and Gaurav. The petitioners had sought directions to withdraw the government’s invitation to Mushtaq, arguing that Dasara is an integral Hindu religious festival and should be inaugurated only by a Hindu.

The court ruled that the government’s decision did not violate any legal or constitutional rights of the petitioners and therefore warranted no intervention. “Only the operative portion of the order is being read out. Detailed reasons will be mentioned in the full judgment,” the bench noted.

During the hearing, advocate general Shashikiran Shetty urged the court to impose costs on the petitioners, but the bench declined.

The petitions had contended that inviting a non-Hindu to inaugurate the state’s famed Nada Habba (state festival) Dasara infringed upon Hindu traditions and sought a directive to revoke the invitation.