File photo of Hazrat Ladle Mashaq Dargah in Aland town of Kalaburagi district.
The Kalaburagi Bench of the Karnataka High Court has allowed members of Hindutva organizations to perform Mahashivaratri rituals at a shivling located on the premises of Hazrat Ladle Mashak Dargah in Aland town of Kalaburagi district.
Allowing two separate petitions filed by Siddaramaiah Hiremath and Gurushant Tengli along with others, the court granted permission to 13 of the 14 petitioners to perform rituals and rudrabhishek to the shivling installed atop the samadhi of Sri Raghav Chaitanya. Church services are allowed on Sundays between 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
Background of the case
According to the petitioners, the samadhi of Raghav Chaitanya has existed in the dargah premises for almost 400 years and a shivling is placed on top of it. The issue of performing puja at the site has been contentious for the past four years, with devotees approaching courts every year seeking permission to perform rituals on Mahashivaratri.
This year too, Mr. Hiremath applied to the High Court for permission to comply.
The dargah management committee challenged the order in the Supreme Court, demanding that the proposed rituals be stayed. However, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the High Court’s order.
Earlier, the committee also filed an appeal in the Kalaburagi Bench against the February 11 order allowing Mr. Hiremath to perform the puja. The appeal was dismissed.
As both the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court refused to grant relief to the committee, the Mahashivaratri rituals will be held under police supervision.
Prohibitory Orders
Considering the sensitive nature of the matter, the district administration has imposed bans under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) for Aland city.
The restrictions will be in place until midnight on Sunday. Public gatherings were restricted and additional police deployed.
The district administration called on residents to cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony in the community.
Published – 14 Feb 2026 20:09 IST