Progressive thinkers to urge court to regulate religious outfits

Progressive thinkers to urge court to regulate religious outfits

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Sep 8, 2012: A group of Mangaloreans have decided to move the Karnataka High Court with the intention of drawing the attention of the judiciary to problems created by religious fundamentalist groups in Mangalore. 

Through their public interest litigation (PIL), they will appeal to the court to order transparency in the way religious outfits such as Popular Front of India (PFI) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) conduct themselves in public. They have also observed that religious fundamentalist organizations’ attempts to create communal tension in DK are driven by ulterior motives.

M. G. Hegde, the leader of the group, said that the PIL will seek compulsory registration of religious fundamentalist groups. They will also demand that these organizations must publicly declare their accounts, produce valid PAN cards, and give details about the members of their working committees so that they can be held responsible for the way members of these organizations behave in public. 

The PIL will also appeal that no fundamentalist religious organization must be allowed to display provocative banners in public as damage caused to these banners immediately lead to communal tension. It also requests the court to make it illegal for these organizations to hold public meetings immediately after the declaration of general election dates because speeches made at these meetings lead to communal clashes. 

Expressing his opinion that only the judiciary can regulate these organizations, Mr. Hegde urged individuals as well as groups to oppose such organizations.