Tipu Sultan a monarch, not freedom fighter, observes Karnataka High Court

Justice R B Budhihal is the other member of the bench. The observation was made by the Chief Justice during a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation filed by South Kodagu-based K P Manjunatha, challenging government’s move to celebrate Tipu Jayanti.

Justice Mukherjee also questioned the logic behind celebrating Tipu Jayanti amid fears of communal tension escalating in Kodagu district and other parts of the state.

He observed that last year’s celebrations had resulted in a law-and-order situation after protesters resorted to violence. However, public counsel M R Naik defended the celebrations, saying Tipu was a great warrior who fought against the British. Countering the submissions, Sajan Poovaiah, counsel for the petitioner, said Tipu was a tyrant ruler who killed people belonging to many communities, including Kodavas, Konkanis and Christians.

The hearing will resume tomorrow. The Congress government’s decision to observe the birth anniversary of the 18th century ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom has stirred a major controversy, with opinion sharply divided among intellectuals, academia and different communities and organisations. Tipu Jayanti, slated to be celebrated across the state on November 10, is being observed since last year following a government decision, which had triggered a major row and caused violence in Kodagu district last November.

RSS had stated recently it opposed the celebration and would stage protests against it as the ruler of the erstwhile Mysore kingdom was a “religious bigot and a violent sultan”.

BJP has also expressed its strong opposition to ‘Tipu Jayanti’.

From the homepage

Devendra Fadnavis orders probe into alleged Pune land deal linked to Ajit Pawar’s son Parth

ED attaches Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan’s Rs 11.14 crore assets in betting app money laundering probe

Video of prisoners dancing in Ranchi jail goes viral, 2 officials suspended