Scholar Hanumakshi Gogi has been nominated as the sole woman member of an expert committee examining demands for a separate religion status to the Veerashaiva and Lingayat faiths.
The Karnataka State Minorities Commission, under which the expert committee was formed, confirmed Gogi's nomination on Tuesday.
This comes after the committee, headed by retired High Court judge Justice H N Nagmohan Das, resolved to urge the government to appoint a woman as the committee did not have one.
Gogi, the Dharwad-based writer, was awarded the Rajyotsava award last year for her work in the field of literature. She specialises in Ancient History and Epigraphy (study of inscriptions).
The expert committee, which met for the first time on January 6, has sought six months time to submit its report on the Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion issue.
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