INDIA. Mumbai: In a late-night hearing on Tuesday, Justice Ashok S Kinagi of the Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court granted permission for the Ganeshotsav Celebrations at Eidgah Maidan in Hubballi in North Karnataka.
In a hearing held in his chamber, Justice Kinagi rejected a petition challenging the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) permission to celebrate the Ganesh festival at the Idgah maidan.
The verdict came hours after the Supreme Court stalled the Ganesh festival celebrations at the Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet, Bengaluru, as it ordered status on the plot. The high court said the property had not been declared a place of worship, and the HDMC could go ahead with the permission it granted.
However, the judge gave the petitioner permission to bring to his attention any Supreme Court ruling in a related case involving the Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet, Bengaluru.
The judge stated that only the high court division bench’s order in the Bengaluru case was in front of him and that the Supreme Court had not made a final decision in the case despite a three-judge bench being established for it.
Anjuman-E-Islam had moved the court seeking to restrain the authorities from granting permission to install the Ganesh idol and cultural and religious activities at the maidan.
The petitioner had alleged that the municipal commissioner was trying to convert the place of worship and that the Hindu community was seeking to erect a Ganesh pandal for the first time.
Additional Advocate General Dhyan Chinnappa said there is no dispute regarding the property’s title. In this case, adding the facts in the “Chamarajpet land” differs from the present.
The HDMC has decided to allow the installation of a Ganapati idol for three days at the Idgah Maidan in Hubballi. The local mayor, Irish Anchatageri, made a statement in this regard on Monday after a meeting with elected representatives and officials.
The local residents had launched a signature campaign to demand the Ganesh festival celebration in the maidan. The festival will be celebrated at the maidan for the first time in the last 200 years. The maidan is recognized as communally sensitive.
According to a Supreme Court order following a dispute, Muslims can hold a prayer on the ground twice a year (Ramzan and Bakri id). At the same time, the HDMC hoists the national flag during Independence Day and Republic Day.
Also Read: Ganesh Chaturthi, the Elephant-Headed God’s Festival Kicks Off across India
