Overview

• Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the plea, invoking the Constitution’s Preamble and saying the state cannot distinguish between citizens when hosting a public event.
• The order leaves intact the Karnataka High Court’s September 15 ruling by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Joshi that interfaith participation in state celebrations does not violate constitutional rights.
• Petitioners argued a non-Hindu cannot perform Agra Puja inside the Chamundeshwari Temple and cited Agama Shastra and Articles 25 and 26, with senior advocate PB Suresh pressing the case.
• The state pointed to a cross-party 62-member invitation committee and cited the 2017 selection of poet Nisar Ahmed as precedent to underscore that the event is administered as a public festival.
• The inauguration remains slated for September 22 in Mysuru, and while political criticism persists, the legal challenge has been closed by the High Court and Supreme Court decisions.