A day after passing an interim order maintaining the status quo at the Chamarajpet Eidgah Maidan, the Karnataka High Court on Friday granted permission to hold Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on the ground after the government filed an appeal against its previous order.
The high court said that the government could decide whether to allow Ganesha Chaturthi on the property.
“Indian society comprises religious, linguistic, regional or sectional diversities. The Constitution itself fosters brotherhood amongst various sections of society. The principle of religious toleration is a characteristic of Indian civilization. We therefore, at this stage, on the peculiar facts of the case, modify the interim order and permit the state government to consider and pass appropriate orders on applications seeking use of the land in question for holding religious and cultural activities for a limited period from August 31 onwards,” the order read.
The interim order’s other instructions, however, will remain unchanged.
The court further stated that the remarks made in this order were made solely for the purpose of evaluating the request for temporary relief and would not have any influence on the case’s merits in either this appeal or the writ petition currently before the bench.
On Thursday, the high court, in its interim order, said that the venue should be used only as a playground and for the offering of prayers during Ramadan and Bakrid.
The two-acre Eidgah Maidan in Bengaluru’s Chamrajpet area has become the bone of contention after several Hindutva groups started demanding Hindu festivals to be celebrated on the ground that has served as a place for Muslims to offer namaz during their festivals for decades.
The Wakf board claims that the land belongs to the Central Muslim Association (CMA), and cites the 1964 Supreme Court ruling, which gives them the ownership.
In June this year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) took back its claim on the land saying that it has no ownership of the property.
However, the civic body later declared that the Eidgah Maidan belonged to the Revenue Department, which the Wakf Board has challenged.
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Shaik Zakeer Hussain is the Founder and Editor of The Cognate.
