Bababudangiri dispute: SC sets 4-month deadline

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Karnataka government to decide “expeditiously” the issues pertaining to performance of religious activities at disputed cave shrine of Guru Dattatreya Bababudangiri swamy dargah in Chikkamagaluru.

A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha told the government to resolve the matter “within a period not beyond four months”.

The court passed its order while allowing ‘Sajjada Nasheen’ Syed Ghouse Mohiyuddin Shakhadri, represented by advocate Neela Gokhale, to withdraw a contempt petition filed against the state government.

Senior advocate Basava Prabhu Patil, appearing for the state government, submitted that a Cabinet sub-committee has been formed to look into the matter. He sought six months time for the purpose. Gokhale, for her part, claimed that the apex court’s order on maintaining status quo was being violated.

The state government, however, submitted a meeting has been called on September 25 wherein the petitioner has been invited to come up with the list of issues to be addressed.

The top court had on March 27 directed the government to decide within six weeks several representations made by ‘Sajjada Nasheen’. The court had on September 3, 2015 said that Karnataka’s Cabinet had to decide the issue after considering the 2010 report of the Commissioner for Religious and Charitable Endowments and hearing the parties including ‘Sajjada Nasheen’.

The court had then also allowed Shakhadri to appoint Mujawar (priest) to perform rituals over the dargah. Shakhadri had repeatedly contended that the state government violated the apex court’s direction of September 3, 2015 to maintain status quo in terms of the order of February 25, 1989 passed by the Commissioner for Religious and Charitable Endowments in Karnataka. He claimed despite various representations, the state government has restrained him from visiting the tombs of his deceased parents nor offer there chaddar etc.

The ‘dargah’ at Chikkamagaluru is venerated by thousands of Hindus and Muslims alike but there have been demands for its “liberation” on the ground that it was a temple of Lord Dattatreya.

Notably, the Congress government had earlier in 2013 maintained that there was no existence of any mosque near the disputed cave shrine of Guru Dattatreya Baba Budangiri Swamy dargah in Chikkamagaluru.