Baba Budan Giri row: Recommendation of sub-committee gets Cabinet nod
Bengaluru, July 1: Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy on Friday said the State Cabinet has accepted the recommendation made by its sub-committee to be placed before the High Court regarding the Baba Budan Giri-Datta Peeta issue in Chikmagalur district.
The High Court of Karnataka last month granted six weeks to the Cabinet sub-committee to arrive at a decision on the issue.
"We have submitted the Datta Peeta report to the Cabinet, which is to be submitted before the High Court...the Cabinet has accepted the recommendations that we are going to file before the High Court of Karnataka," Madhuswamy said, not willing to share its contents citing court procedures.
Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, he said "The decision of the High Court was that the government has to come with some report. When the case came up before the Court again three-four weeks back, we had sought time stating that we will file an affidavit before court within four weeks."
On June 1, the State had sought time during the hearing of an intra-court appeal challenging the quashing of the appointment of a Muslim Maulvi, Syed Ghouse Mohiyuddin Shah Khadri, to conduct rituals at the disputed religious site.
The March 19, 2018 order of the government making the appointment was quashed by the High Court on September 28, 2021. The government order was challenged by Guru Dattatreya Peeta Devastana.
Following this, the matter was remitted to the State government with a direction to re-consider the matter afresh.
In compliance, the government had constituted a Cabinet sub-committee comprising the Minister of Law and Parliamentary affairs, Home Minister and Endowments Minister.
The High Court was informed on June 1 that the sub-committee visited the spot and consulted various stakeholders, and with a view to amicably resolving the dispute between the parties, a decision would be taken within six weeks.
The court was also told that the State government does not intend to alter or interfere with the "performance" of any religious activities in the place of worship in question till the decision is submitted.
Deferring the proceedings for six weeks, the court had said the decision which may be submitted by the government shall be subject to result of the appeal and it would be open for either of the parties to raise an objection with regard to the decision, which may be taken by the State government.
The Datta Peetha shrine issue has been a controversial one in Karnataka for several years. A temple in the name of Dattatreya and a dargah in the name of Sufi saint Baba Budan Dargah are located at the cave in the Bababudangiri Hills of the Western Ghats.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
