BANGALORE, Karnataka—The Karnataka High Court on July 10 imposed Rupees 20,000 fine on Prof. Pandit Rao Dharennavar for moving a PIL seeking direction to the Karnataka government for creating awareness about ‘Kirpan’ (symbol of Sikh faith) among the common masses of Karnataka. The Karnataka HC dubbed the demand about ‘Kirpan’ raised in PIL moved by Prof. Pandit Rao Dharennavar as wholly unnecessary and meaningless.
Prof. Pandit Rao Dharennavar had moved this petition in Karnataka HC in the wake of rising attacks on Sikhs due to ‘Kirpan’. Prof. Dharennavar hails from village Vijayapura in Karnataka and serves as an assistant professor of sociology in Post-Graduate Government College, Chandigarh.
Prof. Dharennavar’s PIL among other things sought primary education of minorities in their mother tongue and if the state was not able to provide it, inclusion of Sikh history and culture especially about Bhai Sahib Singh and Mai Bhago who were from Karnataka in text books. It said that people of Karnataka think that ‘Kirpan’ is a mere knife and attack Sikh people. So the government should spread the message of ‘kirpan’ of the Sikhs. It also called for protection of migrant workers and protection of their unique identity.
Further, the PIL sought establishment of a university in Bidar in the name of Bhai Saheb Singh who was from Bidar and a Sikh. It also sought the establishment of a Punjabi Sahitya Academy in Karnataka and a Punjabi-Kannada research centre and a translation centre to translate Sikh history to Kannada.
The High Court, however, was not impressed and said the petition cannot even be entertained as a PIL as the expectations of the petitioner “do not call for issuance of any writ, order or direction”.
The court blamed the misuse of the court. “This petition is another classical example of unnecessary approach to this Court, while invoking PIL jurisdiction, which is otherwise meant for dealing with the causes of public concern where intervention of the court is requisite.”
The court imposed a fine of Rupees 20,000 on the petition citing an earlier such instance saying, “The present petitioner is also said to be a teacher by profession and has chosen to file this nature wholly unnecessary and meaningless petition. This petition is also required to be dismissed, with rather higher amount of costs than those imposed in the aforesaid case.” The court had imposed a cost of Rupees 10,000 on a professor from Puttur last week for filing a “frivolous” PIL.
