High Court permits Mahashivaratri puja at dargah premises in Aland; prohibitory orders imposed

The Kalaburagi Bench of the High Court of Karnataka has permitted members of Hindutva organisations to perform Mahashivaratri rituals at a shivling located on the premises of the Hazrat Ladle Mashak Dargah in Aland town of Kalaburagi district.

Allowing two separate petitions filed by Siddaramaiah Hiremath and Gurushant Tengli, along with others, the court granted permission to 13 of the 14 applicants to conduct rituals and rudrabhisheka to the shivling installed atop the samadhi of Sri Raghav Chaitanya. The worship has been permitted between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Background of case

According to the petitioners, the samadhi of Raghav Chaitanya has existed on the dargah premises for nearly 400 years, and a shivling is situated atop it. The issue of performing puja at the site has been contentious over the past four years, with devotees approaching courts annually seeking permission to conduct rituals on Mahashivaratri.

This year too, Mr. Hiremath moved the High Court seeking permission for the observance.

The management committee of the dargah challenged the order before the Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the proposed rituals. The apex court, however, declined to interfere with the High Court’s order.

Earlier, the committee had also filed an appeal before the Kalaburagi Bench against a February 11 order permitting Mr. Hiremath to perform puja. The appeal was dismissed.

With both the High Court and the Supreme Court declining to grant relief to the committee, the Mahashivaratri rituals will be held under police supervision.

Prohibitory orders

In view of the sensitive nature of the issue, the district administration has imposed prohibitory orders across Aland town under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The restrictions will remain in effect till Sunday midnight. Public gatherings have been curtailed and additional police personnel deployed.

The district administration has appealed to residents to cooperate in maintaining peace and communal harmony.