SC rejects plea on retaining Kalaburagi's old name

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea questioning renaming of Gulbarga as Kalaburgi, saying it was for the government to take such decisions which cannot be examined by it.

Senior advocate Basava P Patil, appearing for Sharan Desai, submitted the government decided to change the name of several cities including Gulbarga by ignoring the 600-year old history. He contended the Muslim name of the city was converted to Hindu name.

The bench, led by Chief Justice T S Thakur and comprising Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi, asked the counsel, “Is there any fundamental right of the petitioner violated or statutory guidelines ignored by the decision? These kinds of issues are handled by the government only. The government is accountable to the floor of the House. The court cannot examine the matter in public interest,” the bench observed.

The court questioned  why the petitioner didn’t object to renaming other cities in Karnataka.