Lingayat row: Anxiety is good, over anxiety is not, says HC Chief Justice

Chief Justice of the High Court Dinesh Maheshwari observed on Thursday that anxiety was good, but over anxiety was not, with regard to the controversy over granting separate religion status to Lingayats.

Maheshwari was referring to the haste expressed by the petitioners, who were seeking a stay on the proceedings of the seven-member expert committee constituted for the purpose.

A division bench headed by Justice Maheshwari was hearing a batch of petitions filed against the constitution of the panel to look into the demand for a separate religion status to Lingayats.

Akram Pasha, under secretary (minorities, welfare, Haj and wakf), filed an affidavit citing the differences between Hindus and Lingayats. The affidavit said the Lingayats do not perform idol worship, unlike the Hindus. Further, Lingayats perform widow remarriage, while it is against the Hindu religion.

In response to this, senior counsel Ashok Haranahalli stated that a person belonging to a minority religion himself does not have the power to file an affidavit of this nature.

The bench took a strong exception to this and observed that Pasha represented the government and a personal comment made on the religion would not be entertained.

The petitioners have contended that neither the Karnataka State Minorities Commission, which referred the matter to an expert committee, has the power to decide and declare any community as a religion nor is the state government conferred with such an authority.

The bench asked the parties not to precipitate the matter and asked them to file their objections in response to the affidavit. The matter was adjourned for hearing to April 3.