HC Dismisses Petitions Against Banu Mushtaq As Chief Guest to Open Dasara Festivities
An advocate representing a petitioner brought to the knowledge of the Court over reported remarks against Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, revered as Mother Kannada, at a function in 2023
BENGALURU: The High Court of Karnataka on Monday dismissed petitions including one by Bharatiya Janata Party former Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha who in their petitions challenged the State Government’s decision to choose writer and International Booker Prize-2025 winner Banu Mushtaq to open Mysuru Dasara festivities atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on September 22.
After hearing arguments, a division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi said Article 26 if you read is right for religious belief and stated “This is a secular State.” Over picking Banu Musthaq, the Court stated “This is a decision by public representatives."
The Court said “We are not persuaded to accept that permitting a person of a different faith to the function organised by the State violates any legal or Constitutional rights of the petitioners or in any manner opposed to values enshrined in the Constitution. Accordingly, petitions are dismissed.”
Before dismissing the petitions, the Court said “Vijayadashmi is a festival of victory of good over evil and is celebrated across the length of the country.” There were a couple of petitions before the High Court seeking a direction to the State Government to withdraw the invitation to Banu Musthaq as Chief Guest to open Dasara festivities.
An advocate representing a petitioner brought to the knowledge of the Court over reported remarks against Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, revered as Mother Kannada, at a function in 2023. The advocate then stated to the Court the Dasara festivities is a Hindu celebration and insisted a Hindu be invited to inaugurate the festivities.
Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the State Government, told the Court, the Dasara festivities is a State festival and the person to inaugurate a Chief Guest is chosen based on the opinion of a high-level committee on Dasara. The high-level committee includes MPs and MLAs of all parties.
Shashi Kiran Shety said one of the petitioners- Pratap Simha had earlier shared the stage with a Muslim, poet Nisar Ahmed, to inaugurate Dasara festivities in 2017.