CHIKMAGALUR: The Supreme Court has permitted Sha Quadri to conduct an all-religion ritual for four days at the controversial Inam Dattatreya Peeta (Bababudan Dargah) atop the B B Hills in Chikmagalur district as part of the Sandal Urus in March.
Sha Quadri Syed Gouse Moiuddeen told Express that a two-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice R V Raveendran and Justice A K Patnaik accepted his petition and accorded permission for the Urus.
The SC has directed the authorities not to obstruct the Urus rituals to be performed by Sha Quadri in its order dated December 1, 2008, as status quo had to be maintained at the disputed site, he said.
Stating that the SC verdict also includes performing of Sandal Urus, and the apex court has warned the state government not to interfere in the matter. A contempt of court case against the Chief Secretary of the state government was under trial, he elaborated.
Lawyers for the petitioners, Jaiveer Shergill and Neela Gokhale, contended that the state government was not permitting Urus rituals, which was in practice prior to 1975 and the court is examining whether the maintenance right belonged to the government or the Sha Quadri.
For the last five years, the administration has been performing Urus. Permission was not given to Sha Quadri to conduct rituals like covering tombs inside and outside the cave with new green cloth and sandal paste.
Usually, the Urus is held from March 20 to 22, but Sha Quadri announced that he would decide the dates of Urus soon.
Reacting to the court verdict, Deputy Commissioner N S Channappa Gowda said that decision on according permission for Urus would only be taken after going through the full text of the judgement and a meeting of important citizens on March
