Karnataka HC dismisses petitions against nomination of Banu Mushtaq as dasara chief guest

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday dismissed a batch of public interest litigations (PILs) challenging the decision of the state govt to nominate Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq as the Chief Guest for the inauguration of the upcoming Dasara Festival in Mysuru.

BJP leader Prathap Simha and a couple of others filed these petitions seeking a direction to the state govt to withdraw the invitation extended to Mushtaq as the Chief Guest for the festival.After hearing the petitioners and Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi dismissed the petitions. "We are not persuaded to accept that a person from a different faith inaugurating a function organised by the state would violate a legal or constitutional right of the petitioners or any values enshrined in the constitution.

The petitions are dismissed," the bench observed while indicating that a detailed order will be passed later.

The petitioners argued that the invitee expressed certain opinions against the Kannada language and, being a non-Hindu, should not be allowed to inaugurate the Dasara Festival, which also involves religious ceremonies. However, the Advocate General prayed the court to dismiss the petitions by imposing heavy costs on the petitioners.

He submitted that in the past, when literateur Nisar Ahmed was the invitee, the very petitioner, Pratap Simha, shared the stage with him. He further added that the Dasara Festival is a secular function, and reducing it to a religious event is a myopic view. It is a state festival where all people can participate. The selection of the invitees is done by a committee comprising members from all walks of life. It is the worst kind of offence to bring in a Hindu-Muslim divide in such matters, and the same should be nipped in the bud, the Advocate General further submitted.