New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order upholding the state government’s decision to invite Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the state-sponsored Dasara Mahotsav at the Chamundeshwari temple in Mysuru.

What did the Supreme Court say?

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta rejected the petition, observing, “Our preamble says we are secular, and this is a state programme, and the state can’t distinguish.”

What were the petitioner’s arguments?

The petitioner’s counsel argued that “Puja inside the temple is not a secular act and it’s part of the ceremony.”

He contended that the Karnataka government’s decision to allow a non-Hindu to perform Agra Puja at the Chamundeshwari temple for the inauguration of Dasara in Mysuru would hurt Hindu sentiments.

On Thursday, the counsel had sought an urgent hearing of the appeal, insisting that non-Hindus cannot perform the Agra Puja.

On 15 September, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed petitions challenging the government’s decision to invite Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Dasara Mahotsav on 22 September.

The High Court held that “the participation of a person practising a particular faith or religion in the celebrations of festivals of other religions does not offend the rights available under the Constitution of India.”

It also noted that the festivities are organised annually by the state and that in the past, accomplished individuals such as scientists, educationists, authors, and freedom fighters had been invited.

What did the appeal before the Supreme Court claim?

The petitioners argued that the High Court had failed to appreciate that the inauguration of Dasara inside the premises of the Goddess Chamundeshwari temple necessarily involves a puja, which cannot be performed by a non-Hindu.

According to the plea, “The pooja must be performed as per Hindu devotional and rituals, and the pooja is the inauguration of the traditional ten-day celebrations of the Dasara festival.”

It further added, “The Chief Guest invited by the state is non-Hindu and as such, she cannot perform rituals before the deity, which is against established Hindu religious and ceremonial practices.”

The petition stressed that the High Court erred in not recognising that “the inauguration of Dasara Mahotsav by a non-Hindu is against the basic rules of Agama Shastra, and the Agama rules are a part of the Hindu religious faith, and in departure from the traditional rules of worship, it would result in the disturbance of the purity of the ceremony and the divine spirit of the deity, and the belief system of the entire Hindu community would be affected.”

It also argued that since the time of the Wodeyar dynasty, the inauguration of the Dasara festival had always been performed by a Hindu dignitary, as the ceremony involved offering puja, invoking sacred mantras, and participating in religious rites as prescribed by Hindu tradition.

(ANI)