Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to state its position by 2:30 pm on November 13 regarding the permission sought by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct a route march in Chittapur, Kalaburagi district.
The direction came during the hearing of a petition filed by Ashok Patil, the RSS district convener of Kalaburagi, seeking the court’s intervention to instruct the district administration to consider their application for permission to hold the route march. The case was heard by Justice M.G.S. Kamal of the Kalaburagi bench on Friday.
Senior advocate M. Arun Shyam, appearing for the petitioner, informed the court that, following the court’s earlier advice, RSS representatives had attended a peace meeting at the Advocate General’s office in Bengaluru on November 5 and had presented their proposal. He said the government has yet to communicate its decision.
Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty, representing the state, told the court that permission would be granted to all organizations that had applied within a week, and written communication regarding the specific dates would be issued. He sought one week’s time for this process.
Responding to this, Arun Shyam requested that permission be granted for November 13 or 16, stating that the RSS had already reserved a Kalyana Mantapa (convention hall) for those two dates and would not be able to use it later.
After hearing both sides, Justice Kamal noted that the peace meeting held on November 5 with various organizations had been constructive. Since the petitioner sought permission for either November 13 or 16, and the Advocate General assured that permission would be given to all eligible organizations, the court adjourned the matter to November 13 at 2:30 pm.
The government has been directed to convey its decision on the permission sought by the RSS on that day.
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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
