In a major setback for the Karnataka Congress government, the Dharwad Bench of the High Court has stayed its order which mandated private organisations to obtain prior permission before holding activities in government premises.
The single-judge bench of Justice Nagaprasanna passed an interim stay on the government’s directive and posted the matter for further hearing on November 17. The order, widely viewed as an attempt to restrict RSS-related activities, will now remain on hold until the next hearing.
The petition challenging the government’s directive was filed by Punashchaitanya Seva Samsthe, which argued that the move infringed upon the rights of private organisations to conduct lawful activities.
The now-stayed Government Order (GO), issued earlier this month, had laid out detailed guidelines on how public and government-owned properties could be used. It explicitly stated that no private or social organisation could hold events, meetings, or cultural programmes in government schools, college grounds, or other institutional spaces without written permission from the respective heads of departments. It also directed district administrations to monitor compliance and take action against any violations under the Karnataka Land Revenue and Education Acts.
Earlier, Karnataka Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil had clarified that the government’s move was not targeted at any particular organisation. “There’s nothing specific about this organisation or that organisation,” he said. “Government or institutional properties will be used only with proper permission and for the right purpose. Any violation will be dealt with under existing laws,” he asserted.
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