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Ganeshotsav accorded ‘State Festival’ status, yet its 22-year tradition is halted at Kolhapur Zilla Parishad
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HJS seeks the legal basis for the decision and demands its revocation
Kolhapur, Maharashtra – In a major development, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad has decided to stop the Ganeshotsav that has been celebrated peacefully and enthusiastically for the past 22 years in the Zilla Parishad administrative building, following a representation submitted by a certain organisation.
The move has raised questions over the administrative contradiction of declaring Ganeshotsav a ‘State Festival’ on one hand, while abruptly banning a peaceful and long-standing celebration inside the Zilla Parishad building on the other.
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti opposes move, questions legal basis of the decision
The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding that the decision to stop Ganeshotsav in the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad administrative building be revoked and the festival be allowed to continue as before. It has also demanded that the legal basis of the decision be examined and administrative accountability of the concerned officials be fixed.
The memorandum was accepted by Tehsildar Hanumant Mhetre. The same memorandum was also submitted to Works Committee Chairperson Sarika Nandekar at the Zilla Parishad.
Present on this occasion were members of the Zilla Parishad alongside representatives from various pro-Hindu organisations, including the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), Shiv Sena, Hindu Rashtra Samanvay Samiti, Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh, Maratha Tituka Melvava, Maharaja Pratishthan, Hindu Ekta Andolan, Hindu Jagran, Hindu Mahasabha, Namo Namo, as well as devout Hindu activists.
After the memorandum was submitted at the Zilla Parishad, Works Committee Chairperson Sarika Nandekar said that all the members were firmly resolved to celebrate Ganeshotsav at the Zilla Parishad and that the festival would be celebrated under any circumstances.
Key demands of the memorandum
- Immediate written permission must be granted to continue the 22-year-old Ganeshotsav tradition within the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad administrative building as before, provided there is no valid and explicit legal prohibition.
- The certified copy of the law or rule under which the order to stop Ganeshotsav was issued must be made public.
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If it is found that the decision was taken beyond the jurisdiction of the concerned authority, in violation of Articles 14 and 25 of the Constitution, and without any competent government order, administrative accountability of the concerned officials should be fixed and action should be taken against them.
- The government must clarify whether the Zilla Parishad’s decision to ban the celebration aligns with state policy, especially after formally according Ganeshotsav the status of a ‘State Festival’.
