Karnataka HC permits RSS route march under strict conditions; Priyank Kharge says law finally followed

Karnataka High Court permited RSS route march in Chittapur with restrictions on participants and conditions.

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday cleared the decks for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct its planned route march in Chittapur, granting permission for a restricted procession on November 16.

The court, allowed the organisation to carry out the march with 300 participants. (Representational Image)

The court, while disposing of a petition filed by the RSS convenor in Kalaburagi, allowed the organisation to carry out the march with 300 participants and a 50-member band, subject to conditions laid down by the district administration.

The petition was moved after authorities in Chittapur earlier denied approval for the event on October 19, citing concerns over potential law-and-order issues. The Tahsildar had pointed out that the Bhim Army and a few other organisations had also notified the administration of their intention to hold marches on the same route and day, increasing the likelihood of tension.

The High Court, however, directed the RSS to submit a fresh application and instructed officials to evaluate it and submit a report. Thursday’s order followed that process.

Shortly after the court’s decision, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge reacted sharply, taking aim at the RSS and calling the development unprecedented. In a post on X, Kharge said this would be the “first time in its 100-year history” that the organisation was holding a march by seeking government permission and following the “law of the land.”

Kharge wrote that an organisation which had “spent a century defying India’s independence movement, opposing the Constitution, the National Flag and ignoring the law” was now being compelled to operate within constitutional boundaries. “No one is above the law: not individuals, not institutions and certainly not organisations that think they are bigger than the Constitution,” he asserted.

The Minister praised the Kalaburagi district administration for what he described as restraint and fairness, emphasising that the permission granted to the RSS came with strict limitations. He noted that while the organisation initially wanted to conduct a major state-level march with nearly 30,000 participants, the administration had capped the event at only 300 people, disallowed participation from outside Chittapur, and mandated compliance with the approved route and timings. “I hope the message has reached RSS LOUD & CLEAR, you are under the Constitution. Jai Samvidhan!” Kharge posted.

Meanwhile, authorities maintain that the restrictions stem from the need to avoid disturbances in the sensitive region. Thursday’s order underscores that the march will take place only under administrative oversight to ensure peace and public safety.