Supreme Court upholds Karnataka’s invitation to Banu Mushtaq amid political controversy and other key updates.
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition that contested a Karnataka High Court ruling, which supported the state government’s decision to invite writer and activist Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara celebrations. Mushtaq, a recipient of the 2025 International Booker Prize, has become a focal point of contention. The Supreme Court noted that the preamble of the Constitution emphasizes secularism, reinforcing that the Mysuru Dasara is a state-sponsored event. This decision came after a controversy erupted in Karnataka in August when Mushtaq was announced as the inaugural figure for the celebrations. Critics, particularly from the Bharatiya Janata Party, argued that the Congress-led state government had selected a woman from a community that does not adhere to Hindu beliefs, specifically referring to Mushtaq’s Muslim identity.
In another development, opposition Members of Parliament have called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene regarding the recent arrests of several African refugees in Delhi. Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha, representing the Rashtriya Janata Dal, emphasized in a letter that the individuals detained were not undocumented migrants but recognized refugees, holding identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Delhi Police have detained nearly 30 African refugees over the past week, claiming they were “illegally overstaying their visas and passports.” Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation MP Raja Ram Singh also expressed concern in a letter to the Prime Minister, stating that labeling refugees as “illegal foreigners” undermines international humanitarian standards and exposes them to potential harassment.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has implemented a mandatory e-KYC, or Electronic Know Your Customer verification process, for beneficiaries of the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. This scheme, launched in June 2024, provides a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to women aged 21 to 65 whose families have an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh. The government has mandated that beneficiaries complete their verification and authentication within a two-month timeframe. Failure to complete the Aadhaar authentication will result in the withholding of benefits under the scheme, as stated in a government resolution. Moreover, it has been specified that beneficiaries will need to undergo the e-KYC process annually.
In the realm of legal disputes, the Delhi High Court has issued a warning to yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved, instructing the conglomerate to either withdraw its petition challenging a previous single-judge order from July or face a potential fine. This July order had restrained Patanjali from airing advertisements that allegedly disparaged a product manufactured by consumer goods company Dabur. Patanjali Ayurved has requested additional time to consider its next steps, with the matter scheduled for a hearing on September 23. Dabur had claimed that Patanjali’s advertisements unfairly criticized its Chyawanprash product by asserting that no other manufacturer possessed the expertise to produce it.
