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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court connected Friday rejected a plea challenging Karnataka’s determination to invitation International Booker Prize victor Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara celebrations astatine the Chamundeshwari Temple.
The festival is acceptable to statesman connected September 22.A seat of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the appeal, asking the petitioner’s lawyer, “What is the preamble of this country?” and “How tin the authorities separate betwixt A, B and C?” The entreaty had challenged a September 15 Karnataka precocious tribunal bid that upheld the state’s invitation to Mushtaq.Petitioner HS Gaurav’s lawyer told the tribunal helium did not entity to the inauguration itself, calling it a secular activity, but objected to events taking spot wrong the temple premises.
“That is purely not a secular activity. It attains the colour of a spiritual enactment oregon a spiritual act,” helium said.The seat replied, “It is not a backstage programme. The authorities is organising it. How tin the authorities separate betwixt A, B and C?”The tribunal besides referred to the Karnataka precocious tribunal bid noting that 1 of the petitioners had shared the signifier with Dr Nissar Ahmed, who inaugurated the festivities successful 2017. “Is that close oregon not?” the seat asked.
The petitioner’s lawyer said the programme has 2 parts -- the inauguration and the puja. He argued that the state’s determination violated his Article 25 rights, which warrant state of religion. The seat asked wherefore this was not raised successful 2017 and wherefore the petition was filed now.“They can’t interfere with my spiritual activities,” the lawyer said, citing earlier Supreme Court judgments. Referring to the temple activities, helium added, “Under these circumstances, erstwhile the colour of that peculiar enactment wherever wrong the temple premises, a ceremonial and a puja is being conducted and they are made a portion of that ceremony, it is wholly different.”He besides called the state’s determination “purely political” and argued that Mushtaq should not beryllium allowed to instrumentality portion successful rituals wrong the temple. “You can’t invitation specified a person. There are 2 things. One idiosyncratic who professes secular credentials and different idiosyncratic who takes a diagonally other basal against us,” helium said.The bench, however, repeatedly dismissed the plea. “We person said 3 times, dismissed,” Justice Nath stressed.Earlier, the Karnataka High Court had refused to perceive 4 PILs, including 1 by erstwhile BJP MP Pratap Simha, ruling that nary law oregon ineligible violations had been shown.The petitioners claimed the inauguration of Dasara astatine the Chamundeshwari Temple was not symbolic but an indispensable spiritual signifier protected nether Article 25. The rituals see lighting a ceremonial lamp and offering kumkum, turmeric, fruits and flowers to Goddess Chamundeshwari -- practices governed by Agamic traditions which, they argued, should not beryllium performed by a non-Hindu.The Mysuru territory medication formally invited Mushtaq connected September 3, contempt objections from immoderate sections, including the BJP. Critics alleged that Mushtaq had made “anti-Hindu” and “anti-Kannada” statements successful the past.The Dasara festivities successful Mysuru volition tally from September 22 to October 2, ending with Vijayadashami. Traditionally, the festival begins with showering flowers connected the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari amid Vedic chants astatine the Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hills.
