HC rejects Deity’s plea for invitation to Kullu Dussehra

HC rejects Deity’s plea for invitation to Kullu Dussehra

Shimla, Oct 16,

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has upheld the Kullu district administration’s decision to deny an official invitation and associated facilities at the International Kullu Dussehra to Devta Bansheera Maharaj Sidhwan, observing that tradition, historical recognition and recommendations of the Kardar Sangh remain central to the selection of deities participating in the festival.

Dismissing CWP No. 15559 of 2025 on October 15, Justice Sandeep Sharma found no illegality in the January 10, 2025, order of the Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, which had rejected the deity’s representation seeking an invitation and facilities similar to those provided to other invited deities.

The Court observed that “no documented criteria exist” for inviting deities to the festival and that the Kullu Dussehra Festival Committee had been following tradition as the principal benchmark.

“In other words, invitations are extended to deities which have been attending, or have been invited to, Kullu Dussehra festival for generations and have been widely venerated in the area,” the judgment stated, referring to the historical record of deities reflected in the Wajib-ul-Arz, a revenue document recording customary practices and local traditions.

The petitioner had approached the High Court after its request for participation was rejected despite an earlier court direction requiring the competent authority to consider its representation in accordance with law and in light of an inquiry report.

The administration did not specifically deny the deity’s registration with the Kardar Sangh but opposed the claim to an invitation and equal facilities. It argued that the deity had no established historical recognition comparable to those traditionally invited to the festival.

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Examining the available records, the Court noted that the petitioner deity had emerged following a separation from the original Devta Bansheera in 1990. The judgment recorded that the original deity had participated in Kullu Dussehra since 2007, according to the Nazrana Register, while the petitioner deity was described in the records as a household deity without documented historical recognition in the relevant Wajib-ul-Arz.

The Court held that the petitioner had failed to establish that similarly situated deities without historical records or wider recognition had been invited and provided facilities comparable to those extended to traditionally recognised deities.

The judgment also addressed the practical constraints faced by the festival organisers. Referring to the large number of deities in the district, the Court noted that the festival faced limitations relating to space, logistics and finances.

According to the judgment, uninvited deities could be accommodated at Nehru Ground, but facilities provided to officially invited deities were not extended to them.

The Court further referred to Resolution No. 6 dated October 10, 2011, of the Kullu Jila Devta Kardar Sangh, which opposed invitations to personal deities on account of logistical and financial constraints and favoured those having historical significance and wider recognition.

Emphasising the cultural role of traditional institutions, the judgment observed that the prerogative to recommend deities for invitation should remain with the Kardar Sangh.

“Since Devta functions as a unique cultural institution, binding society culturally and religiously and serving as a centre of faith for the local community, the prerogative of recommending deities for invitation to the festival ought to remain with the Kardar Sangh,” the Court stated.

Concluding that the Deputy Commissioner’s order suffered from no illegality or infirmity, the High Court dismissed the petition while leaving the petitioner free to pursue an appropriate remedy in accordance with law.

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