Karnataka HC adjourns RSS plea for holding event till Nov 7; Sangh submits affidavit seeking Centre’s protection

Kalaburagi: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday asked the state government to convene a peace meeting between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and 10 other organisations in Bengaluru and adjourned the Sangh’s plea seeking permission for an event till November 7.

The court directed the state government to convene a peace meeting between the RSS and 10 other organisations in Bengaluru on November 5.

Notably, the RSS is seeking permission to hold a march on November 2 in Chittapur town, represented by Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge.

Meanwhile, the RSS submitted an affidavit to the bench before the arguments.

The RSS has made the Centre a respondent in the case.

The RSS has sought security from the central government during the march. The affidavit stated, “If the state government continues to hesitate and takes the back seat from providing suitable protection to the celebration and allowing the petitioner to exercise their fundamental rights, the only remedy for the petitioner is by way of Writ or order by the High Court.”

“Hence, in view of the above grounds, it is humbly prayed to allow the application to permit the petitioner to implead Union of India as party respondent in the above writ petition, as prayed for in the application, in the interest of justice,” the affidavit stated.

Notably, soon after the RSS requested permission for a march on November 2, as many as ten other organisations also sought permission to conduct foot marches and processions on the same day.

The peace meeting, organised earlier by the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner, had failed after Dalit organisations demanded that the RSS should not carry lathis or the Bhagwa Dhwaj during its march, insisting instead that participants carry the national Tricolour and the Preamble of the Constitution.

Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Fauzia Taranum has submitted a report in this regard to the court.

Based on her report, the bench headed by Justice M.G.S. Kamal issued the order, directing that the peace meeting be held in Bengaluru at 3 p.m. on November 5, preferably at the office of the Advocate General.

The bench further observed that the proceedings in this case should serve as a guideline for handling similar situations in the future.

Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty stated that the government’s objective is solely to resolve the matter peacefully. He informed the court that there would be no RSS march on November 2 and that the government is ready to hold the peace meeting in Bengaluru on November 5. He also clarified that the petitioner, Ashok Patil, was not present during the earlier peace talks and that other representatives had attended on his behalf.

Counsel for the petitioner, Arun Shyam, informed the court that his client could not attend the previous peace meeting due to a death in his family.

IANS