Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asserted that the court’s issuance of summons is a routine part of the legal process and does not signify a reopening of the case, as claimed by BJP leaders.
Team Clarion
BENGALURU – Court notices to 14 Hindutva protagonists under the Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act for their alleged involvement in the 2017 vandalisation of tombs at Baba Budangiri or Datta Peetha disputed site near Chikkamagaluru have created a fresh controversy in the state.
The First Additional Civil Judge and JMFC, Chikkamagaluru issued summons to all accused for their first appearance on January 8.
Sharply reacting to the summons, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserted that its supporters are being unfairly targeted.
BJP leaders and other Hindutva groups have been demanding that the cave shrine atop Baba Budangiri be declared a Hindu place of worship.
The case, initiated in 2017, saw a request for a hearing made on March 19, 2020. The government granted permission on September 7, 2023. Subsequently, on October 24, 2023, a charge sheet against the accused was submitted to the court.
As part of the ongoing legal process, the court has now issued summons for the accused to appear on January 8.
BJP leader C.T. Ravi accused the Congress government in Karnataka of targeting Hindutva workers. “Whether it is issuing notices to kar sevaks in Chikmmagaluru or this, it is part of a criminal and communal agenda of the Congress party. We are not scared of being sent to prison or the cases they file. We will respond to them,” The Hindustan Times quoted him as saying.
The report said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismissed Ravi’s claims, stating that the allegation of the government reopening the Datta Peetha issue at Baba Budanagiri in Chikkamagaluru is “totally false and baseless.”
Siddaramaiah asserted that the court’s issuance of summons is a routine part of the legal process and does not signify a reopening of the case.
In a statement, the chief minister said that BJP is peddling fake news and denied that the destruction of the Baba Budanagiri tomb case is being reopened by the Congress government.
Siddaramaiah said the case was registered in 2017 and the issuance of summons to the accused by the courts is part of the legal process. “The court has issued a summons to the accused to appear before it on January 8 and this is part of the legal process. The issuance of summons by the court to the accused to appear before it following the filing of the charge sheet is part of the normal legal process. The Congress government has not reopened the case as claimed by some BJP leaders,” he was quoted as saying.
Baba Budangiri, often referred to as South India’s Ayodhya, has long been a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Muslims. Hindus believe the hill is the final resting place of Lord Dattatreya, while the Muslim community considers the shrine as one of the earliest centres of Sufism in South India.
