The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging a Karnataka High Court order that upheld the state government’s decision to invite writer and activist Banu Mushtaq, winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize, to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, Live Law reported.

In its order, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta pointed out that the Preamble to the Constitution speaks about secularism.

“What is the Preamble of this country?” Bar and Bench quoted the court as asking advocate PB Suresh, representing one of the petitioners, HS Gaurav. “This is a state programme…How can state distinguish between A, B and C?”

Mysuru Dasara is a 10-day state festival that begins with the Hindu festival of Navratri and ends on Vijayadashami, or Dussehra. This year, the festivities start on September 22 and conclude on October 2.

The inauguration is set to be conducted at the Chamundi temple in Mysuru.

A row had erupted in the state in August after Mushtaq was invited to inaugurate the celebrations.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders had claimed that the Congress government in the state had chosen a woman from a community that did not believe in Hinduism, referring to Mushtaq being a Muslim.

Three petitions were also filed in the Karnataka High Court, including one by BJP leader and former MP Prathap Simha, challenging the invitation to the writer.

On September 15, the High Court dismissed the petitions, saying that it was “not persuaded to accept that a person from a different faith inaugurating a function organised by the state would violate a legal or constitutional right of the petitioners” or constitutional values.

Gaurav had then moved the Supreme Court. On Thursday, an urgent hearing of the matter was sought in the top court, after which Chief Justice BR Gavai agreed to list it on Friday.

During the hearing on Friday, Suresh told the bench that there were two aspects to the event – one was the inauguration, which was a secular activity, and the other was a puja conducted inside the temple premises, The Indian Express reported.

The advocate added that the petitioner had no objection to Mushtaq’s presence during the inauguration. However, the puja would be conducted inside the temple, he added.

Suresh told the bench that a non-Hindu person cannot be allowed to perform the puja, Live Law reported.

The bench dismissed the case.

However, the advocate submitted that conducting a puja inside a temple cannot be regarded as a secular act. “It’s purely political,” Live Law quoted Suresh as saying. “No reason why they should be brought inside temple for religious activity.…”

Nath reiterated that the case was dismissed.

Suresh continued, alleging that Mushtaq had made objectionable remarks that hurt religious sentiments, adding that such a person cannot be invited.

“We have said ‘dismissed’ three times,” Live Law quoted Nath as saying. “How many dismissals are required?”

In the High Court on September 15, advocate S Sudharshan, representing one of the petitioners, had referred to comments made by Mushtaq in a speech in 2023 that he claimed were anti-Kannada.

However, the bench said that the comments were Mushtaq’s opinions. “Are you saying in this country people cannot voice their opinion?” the bench asked. “You tell us what is your constitutional right?”

Sudharshan had alleged that Dasara was predominantly a Hindu celebration. The advocate also said that prominence was given to images and idols in the Hindu culture. Mushtaq has “no faith with vermilion and turmeric”, Sudharshan added.

“This is a secular state,” the High Court had said in response.

On the other hand, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the state government, had told the High Court that Mushtaq was an International Booker Prize winner. “People of all religions participate in this [Mysuru Dasara] function,” he said. “This is a festival of the state.”

In May, Heart Lamp, Mushtaq’s collection of Kannada short stories translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, became the first Kannada book and the second from India and South Asia to win the International Booker Prize. It was also the first collection of short stories to receive the award.

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