HC to hear RSS case on Friday as local groups resist November 2 route march

The Karnataka High Court will, on Friday, hear a petition seeking permission for the RSS to hold a path sanchalan (route march) at Chittapur in Kalaburagi district on November 2 amid resistance from local groups for the Sangh event.

Chittapur is represented in the assembly by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son, the state’s IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge.

The petitioner Ashok Patil, a local RSS leader, has given an application via email and WhatsApp to the Kalaburagi deputy commissioner after his efforts to meet the authorities to hand the application seeking permission apparently failed.


At a special sitting of the court on October 19, Sunday, Justice MG Shukare Kamal at the high court directed the Kalaburagi district administration to consider RSS’s application requesting permission to hold a route march on November 2. The RSS moved the court after the Chittapur Tahsildar declined permission for the event scheduled last weekend.

The court posted the case for further hearing for Oct 24 after asking the RSS to make a fresh application before the district authorities. The court also asked the government to submit a report on the action taken on the application.

A local organization has petitioned the district authorities urging them not to give permission for the RSS event arguing that it might attract a huge crowd in a small town like Chittapur in view of what it alleged “provocative messages” being spread through social media.

Chittapur is represented in the assembly by IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge on whose letter the state government has made prior permission mandatory for organisations holding events at public places.

Kharge, in a recent chat with the media, said he would not influence a decision by the district authorities on the RSS application.

The government has also barred its employees as well as those of PSU employees from participating in RSS events and sent a stern message by suspending two officials for violation of service rules.