The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused the permission to celebrate Ganesh festival at Eidgah Maidan ground in Bengaluru’s Chamarajpet proposed by the Karnataka Government and ordered status quo.
The Supreme Court ordered the parties to raise their grievances before High Court’s single judge,which was already held the matter.
A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee, Abhay S. Oak and M.M. Sundresh noted that for 200 years no such festival was organised on the said land and all the parties also admit it, so why not maintain the status quo- the bench questioned the parties.
A three-judge bench was constituted to take up the matter after a two-judge bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia differed.
The Karnataka Wakf Board and the Central Muslim Association of Karnataka challenged the validity of High Court’s division bench verdict permitting the state government to pass appropriate orders on applications received by the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru seeking use of Idgah Maidan.
Questioning the validity, Kapil Sibal senior advocate for the petitioners said that they have been in possession of the land since 1871,Dushyant Dave advocate for the petitioners said that under places of worship Act, conversation of use of religious land for other religions is barred.
Appearing for Karnataka Government Mukul Rohatgi said that petitioner never granted exclusive possession. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the state government wants to give permission for the festival for two days.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok said the government will comply the Supreme Court’s direction to maintain status quo at Idgah ground in Chamarajpet, but asserted that the land in question cannot become “the property of any one religion”.
