India a secular nation: HC junks pleas on Dasara invite to Banu

India is a "secular" nation, the Karnataka high court said on Monday as it dismissed a batch of three petitions, including one filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pratap Simha, opposing the Congress-led state government's decision to invite Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the historic Dasara celebrations in Mysuru later this month.

- Ayesha Arvind

A bench of chief justice Vibhu Bakhru and justice CM Joshi dismissed Simha's petition after holding that it was not persuaded by his argument that a person of another faith cannot be invited as chief guest for a state function.

The court held that no legal or constitutional rights of the petitioner had been violated by the state government's decision, and took note of the submissions made by advocate general Shashi Kiran Shetty, who appeared for the Karnataka government and argued that Dasara is a state festival where people of all communities participate.