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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Jammu, May 12 (PTI): Security forces are engaging suspected drones observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, an Army said.

This fresh incident of drone activity along the borderline comes barely hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation following Operation Sindoor and the meeting of the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.

The Army, however, said there is no need to be alarmed.

“A small number of suspected drones have been observed near Samba in J&K. They are being engaged,” it said.

In the backdrop of the situation, several areas witnessed blackouts in Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Jammu.

Lights were switched off at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and along its track as a precautionary measure, sources said.

On Monday, talks between the DGMOs were held during which issues related to the continuing commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action against each other were discussed, the Indian Army said.

It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction along the borders and in forward areas, it added.

The situation remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, with no incidents of ceasefire violation reported along the Indo-Pak border Sunday overnight — marking the first calm night after 18 days of hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people — mostly tourists — dead.

India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to cease all firing and military actions on land, air, and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war.

Eighteen days of intense hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, ended with a ceasefire that restored calm along the Line of Control, the International Border, and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army thwarted Pakistan’s Hamas-style kamikaze drone attacks during the escalation.

Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC — beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.

The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts — Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.

The recent round of cross-border firing further undermined the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which has largely been seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations along the 740-km-long LoC.

The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley, triggered a strong response from the central government.

The India-Pakistan border stretches over 3,300 kilometers, divided into three segments: the International Border (IB), spanning about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir; and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which separates the Siachen Glacier region.