Karnataka High Court dismisses pleas against Banu Mushtaq inaugurating Mysuru Dasara

The Karnataka High Court dismissed petitions against inviting International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara.

The Karnataka High Court on Monday dismissed multiple petitions opposing the state government’s decision to invite International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Mysuru Dasara festivities.

The Dasara celebrations are scheduled to begin on September 22 and conclude on Vijayadashami, October 2. (AP)

A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bhakru and Justice C M Joshi refused to entertain four petitions, including one filed by former Mysuru BJP MP Pratap Simha, who had challenged the government’s move.

The Mysuru district administration had formally invited Mushtaq on September 3, despite objections from sections of the opposition, particularly the BJP. The controversy centres on allegations that Mushtaq has previously made remarks considered by critics as “anti-Hindu culture.” Simha and others argued that her selection undermines the religious traditions of Dasara, which customarily begins with Vedic rituals and floral offerings to Goddess Chamundeshwari at the Chamundi Hills temple.

The Dasara celebrations are scheduled to begin on September 22 and conclude on Vijayadashami, October 2. The inaugural ceremony traditionally involves offering flowers to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, amid chanting of Vedic hymns.

The opposition’s objections gained traction after an old video of Mushtaq resurfaced online, where she is said to have expressed discomfort with the idea of worshipping the Kannada language as Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, calling it exclusionary for minorities like herself. Several BJP leaders demanded that she clarify her position on Goddess Chamundeshwari before inaugurating the festival.

Mushtaq, however, has defended herself, stating that her old speech has been misrepresented and selectively circulated on social media.