The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Datta Peetha: State told to file report on rituals

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Thursday, Jun 28, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Datta Peetha: State told to file report on rituals

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the State Government to file a report by Monday on the rituals and rites that are being conducted at the Shree Guru Datta Peetha in Bababudangiri in Chikamagalur district.

A Division Bench comprising Justice S.R. Bannurmath and Justice Jawad Rahim passed the order on an appeal by the State Government.

The State’s appeal is against a single judge order directing the Commissioner of Religious and Charitable Endowment to hear the Guru Dattatreye Peetha Devasthana Samvardhane Trust and also to inquire afresh into the religious practices being followed at the peetha.

Partly allowed

The single judge had partly allowed petitions by the trust and remitted the matter back to the Commissioner.

The trust had petitioned the High Court against a 1989 order of the Commissioner and claimed that he had passed the orders unilaterally and that the devotees and the trust had not been heard. The trust had claimed that the Commissioner had passed the order after hearing the peer of the shrine.

Public hearing

The single judge had partly allowed the petition of the trust and asked the Commissioner to hold and inquiry and hear the public, trust and devotees before passing an order according to the provisions of the Endowment Act.

He remanded the matter back to the Commissioner and asked him to pass appropriate orders. The State had appealed against this order, saying that the orders passed by quasi-judicial authorities on the rituals to be conducted at the peetha on November 11, 2000, November 17, 2000 and November 25, 2000 were as per the law and that the single judge should have taken note of them.

Stay sought

Appearing for the State, the Advocate-General AG) Uday Holla urged the court to stay the single judge order or maintain status quo.

The Bench then orally sought to know from the Advocate-General why the single judge order was wrong as all he had done was remit the matter back to the authorities. The trust opposed the State’s plea to stay the single judge order.

The Bench then directed the AG to file a report on the rituals being followed at the peetha and ordered issue of notices to the respondents. It adjourned further hearing on the case to Monday.

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