HC questions grounds for PIL against Tipu Jayanti

The High Court of Karnataka questioned the grounds on which a PIL was filed challenging the celebration of Tipu Jayanti on Friday

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar was hearing a PIL filed by K P Manjunath from Kodagu for quashing the circular issued by the government on October 24 for celebrating Tipu Jayanti across the state.

According to the petitioner, Tipu Sultan's reign in Coorg had resulted in the conversion of Kodavas and he had killed thousands of Kodavas as retaliation to his defeat by them.

The petitioner stated that celebrating Tipu Jayanti in Kodagu, his home district will hurt the sentiments of a section of the people and will also lead to communal disharmony in the district and other parts of the state.

Justice H G Ramesh stated that the celebrations had to be against the law for them to be able to intervene. He observed that the main grounds for the PIL was whether the expenditure made for the celebrations was permissible by law.

The advocate general, in his submission, questioned the timing of the petition since a similar petition filed by the same applicant was disposed of in 2016. The AG said, "The petitioner had time from November 2016 but has filed this petition only a few days before Tipu Jayanti after keeping quiet all this while. He has cut and pasted last year's petition." The AG added that there were no legal grounds for his petition.

The court adjourned the matter to November 7.