VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that challenged the state government’s decision to celebrate Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 100th birth anniversary as a state event.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Challa Gunaranjan observed that Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s trust has rendered immense service to society—providing drinking water to three districts and running educational and healthcare institutions. “What is wrong in honoring such a distinguished person?” the bench asked.
The PIL, filed by Venkata Subbaiah, president of Bharata Hetuvada Sangham from Prakasam district, argued that spending public funds on religious activities violates secular principles. The court, however, refused to entertain the plea and advised the petitioner to withdraw it, warning that otherwise it would be dismissed with heavy costs.
Special Government Pleader Singamaneni Pranathi clarified that the state had decided to celebrate the birth anniversaries of 22 eminent personalities known for their humanitarian work, not just Sathya Sai Baba.
Meanwhile, the government sanctioned `10 crore for the centenary celebrations on November 23 in Puttaparthi, Sri Sathya Sai district, to support infrastructure and event arrangements.