Petitioner moves High Court challenging ‘Cauvery Aarti’ event at Sankey Tank

Madikeri/ Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) will visit Talacauvery, the birthplace of River Cauvery in Kodagu, on Mar. 21. According to Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna, DKS will arrive at the shrine by helicopter at 8 am, accompanied by Ponnanna and Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda.

During his visit, DKS will participate in a special puja at Talacauvery Temple as part of the preparations for ‘Cauvery Aarti’ to be held in Bengaluru.

Following the rituals, the Dy.CM will return to Bengaluru with the sacred Cauvery Theertha. Karnataka Government is planning a grand religious event, Cauvery Aarti, at Sankey Tank in Bengaluru on the evening of Mar. 21. Inspired by Varanasi’s famed ‘Ganga Aarti,’ the ceremony will feature priests from the pilgrimage city in Uttar Pradesh, specially flown in for the occasion.

Issue reaches High Court

Meanwhile, a public interest petitioner has moved the Karnataka High Court, challenging the legality of the Cauvery Aarti event at Sankey Tank. The petitioner claims that the activities planned for the event, including temporary or permanent structures within the lake’s buffer zone, violate environmental laws and disturb the local birdlife.

When the matter was mentioned for an urgent hearing on Tuesday, the Division Bench of Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria and Justice M.I. Arun directed the petitioner’s Counsel to file an interlocutory application for the Bench to consider the plea.

Advocate G.R. Mohan, representing Geetha Misra, who had filed a 2019 PIL for the protection of water bodies, clarified that they are not opposing the Aarti itself but are objecting to the violations of environmental regulations.

The petitioner contended that erecting even temporary structures in the buffer zone is illegal and that the event, conducted by Bengaluru Water Supply & Sewerage Board (BWSSB), would disrupt nightlife of birds at the lake.

The plea claims that the event breaches Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority Act and seeks a Court order directing the BWSSB and other authorities to halt any activities within the buffer zone.