Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Sep 27: The central government has sought further time to consider the recommendation made by Karnataka government to accord the status of independent religion to Lingayat. The high court accordingly has adjourned the case to December 10.

A division bench of the high court presided over by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari has been examining public interest litigations questioning the justifiability of granting religious status to Lingayat. When the case came up for hearing on Wednesday September 26, additional solicitor general of India, Prabhuling K Navadgi, who represented the central government, said that issues relating to religion are very sensitive and hence the union government wants to examine the recommendations of the state government from all the angles before arriving at a decision. He sought more time to the union government to arrive at a clear stand.

The bench, which agreed to the request, sought to know from the advocate representing the petitioners whether posting of case to second week of December is acceptable. Senior advocate S P Shankar, who is representing the petitioners, in a lighter vein, said that posting the case to May 2019 would settle the issue for once. He also objected to the delay on the part of the central government in arriving at a decision on the state's recommendation.

Earlier, another advocate for petitioners, G R Gurumath, argued that the central government is unnecessarily delaying the matter. He said that the central government had filed an affidavit in the high court on June 7 stating that as per the decision taken by it in 2013, separate status cannot be granted to Veerashaiva Lingayat. It had also said that the court can pass suitable orders. Therefore he felt there was no need for public interest litigations.