Hubli Ganesh idol case: Anjuman moves Supreme Court against Karnataka HC order

The Anjuman Islam organization filed a petition in the apex court, challenging the order given by the Karnataka High Court allowing the celebration of the Hindu festival at the Eedgah Maidan. The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday upheld the Dharwad municipal commissioner's decision to allow the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi at Eidgah ground at Hubbali-Dharwad. However, Anjuman Islam has moved the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order.

Hubli:The legal tussle over holding Ganeshotsava celebrations at Eidgah Maidan in Hubli has now reached the Supreme Court after the utsav committee installed Ganesha idol at the Eidgah Maidan grounds following a late-night order of the Karnataka High Court. The Anjuman Islam organization filed a fresh petition in the apex court, challenging the order given by the Karnataka HC upholding the municipal commissioner's order allowing the celebration of the Ganesh festival at the Eedgah Maidan.

The Anjuman Islam approached the Supreme Court, urging it to quash the High Court order. This organisation has been fighting a legal battle for preventing the Ganesha Board from installing a small idol and a utsava idol at the designated place of the Idgah Maidan.

There were dramatic developments yesterday when Ganesh devotees planned to bring the idol from Moorusavira Math to install it at the Maidan at around 12 noon yesterday. But due to Anjuman's appeal to the Supreme Court, the time was changed to 7:30 am for the installation of the Ganesha idol. Ganpati idol was installed under the leadership of Utsav Samiti President Sanjeev Badeskar, and many Hindu leaders and organizations were involved along with Santhosh Chauhan, President of the Corporation Member Committee. Police security has been beefed up at the place.

The permission for the installation of the Ganesha idol came in a late-night direction by the Karnataka High Court that upheld the Dharwad municipal commissioner's decision to allow the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi at Eidgah ground at Hubbali-Dharwad. The court rejected pleas challenging the municipal commissioner's permission for holding the rituals at the grounds.

Justice Ashok S Kinagi of the Karnataka High Court held that the property belonged to the Dharwad municipality and that Anjuman-e-Islam, which had challenged the municipal commissioner's order, was only a leaseholder for a period of 999 years at a fee of Re 1 per year. This order came after the Supreme Court ordered status quo by both parties - Waqf Board and the State government, in Bengaluru's Idgah Maidan case, earlier during the same day.